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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395160">Giving Us All She's Got</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_OmegaInfinity_l/pseuds/l_OmegaInfinity_l'>l_OmegaInfinity_l</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Crew of the Starship Enterprise, Crew of the Starship Enterprise as Family, Dysfunctional Family, Enterprise Is Everyone's Little Sister, Gen, I Wrote This Instead Of The Chapter I Should Have, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, James T. Kirk is a Good Friend, Sentient USS Enterprise (Star Trek), Slice of Life, Space Battles, Spock is So Done (Star Trek), Supernatural Elements, protective crew</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 01:58:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_OmegaInfinity_l/pseuds/l_OmegaInfinity_l</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There are times were the systems of a ship acts in ways that are… unexplainable. Malfunctioning consols, glitching displays, or even engine failures that, upon investigation, have no reasonable explanation. It's during instances like these, where scientific explanations cannot be found, that superstitions start. It's said that every technician or engineer who's ever lived has at least once uttered the words "It's like the ship has a mind of its own." And the more such things happen, the more the words seem true.</p><p>But this is, of course, impossible.</p><p>Right?</p><p>Or... </p><p>The Enterprise has a mind of her own, and the crew are starting to realize it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. More Power</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, there are hundreds of thousands of ships crossing the stars day in and day out, sailing through the black silently. From cargo vessels to private yachts, passenger cruisers to warships, each mass of metal protecting its crew as they travel from world to world. For some, these ships a little more than tools, a means to traverse the great expanse between solar systems, a way to carry supplies or passengers. A weapon to wage war with or an opportunity to find profit.</p><p>But for those who remain on one vessel for long periods, those who start to see their ship not as a vehicle, but a home, it's not uncommon for them to give the ship 'human' qualities, for lack of a better term. From simply referring to the ship as female to saying it's 'in a mood' when mechanical issues arise or systems run slow, they start to view their ship almost like a pet or a distant friend. It is, for the most part, harmless. As the crew grows more familiar with their vessel, learns its quirks, sentiment takes root.</p><p>However, there are times were the systems of a ship acts in ways that are… unexplainable. Malfunctioning consols, glitching displays, or even engine failures that, upon investigation, have no reasonable explanation. It's during instances like these, where scientific explanations cannot be found, that superstitions start. It's said that every technician or engineer who's ever lived has at least once uttered the words "It's like the ship has a mind of its own." And the more such things happen, the more the words seem true.</p><p>But this is, of course, impossible.</p><p>Right?</p>
<hr/><p>It all started on the bridge.</p><p>The Enterprise had been sent to investigate a spatial anomaly that had appeared on the edge of the Archanis Sector. The swirling mass of blue gases filled with twinkling yellow and violet light had been a beautiful sight to see.</p><p>The trio of Klingon scout ships hovering on its opposite side was not.</p><p>The Klingon's claimed that the Enterprise had no right to research the anomaly given that it was found in Klingon space. Kirk pointed out that the Enterprise had every right to be there given that Archanis had been given to the Federation the previous year, a fact the Klingon's did not take kindly to being reminded of.</p><p>Twenty minutes of Kirk and the Klingon captain-in-charge arguing later, Kirk was losing his patience. Every word he said was denied, his suggestion that they research the anomaly together was laughed at, and given Uhura's look of disgust, he was pretty sure the Klingon had given him rather crude insult before he'd closed communications.</p><p>Kirk stared at the blank viewscreen in bafflement. He slowly turned towards communications. "Uhura, do I want to know what he just said?"</p><p>Uhura cleared her throat, her expression somehow a mixture of amused and insulted. "He implied something about your parentage and… livestock, sir."</p><p>Kirk took a moment to process this, then practically fell back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Anyone else get the feeling these guys are just here looking for a fight?"</p><p>"It is a distinct possibility, Captain," Spock replied, his face blank save for a subtly raised eyebrow. "While the Klingons and Federation came to an agreement over the giving of the Archanis system to house the Yorktown, it is possible that there are those in the Klingon Empire unhappy with relinquishing their territory."</p><p>"So they're going to use this anomaly as an excuse to take it out on us." Kirk let out a slow breath. "Spock, what do the scanners say about the anomaly?"</p><p>Spock tapped at the screen before him. "There is heavy interference from the anomaly itself, Captain. All we can read is that it is generating a field of intense gravity."</p><p>"Are we in any danger?"</p><p>"At our current position, we seem to be outside its sphere of influence, but I would not recommend getting any closer."</p><p>"Noted. What kind of armament do those ships have, Mister Sulu?"</p><p>Sulu started pulling information up from the ship's archives. "The standard Klingon disruptors and torpedoes, sir. Their range is shorter than ours, but they're disruptors are stronger than- Captian!" Sulu's sudden shout drew the attention of the bridge, the helmsman's eyes focused on his readings. "The Klingon's are moving." They watched as the three ships maneuvered to face the Enterprise, forming a V as they surged forward. A few seconds later, Sulu shouted again, more urgent. "They're powering weapons!"</p><p>In an instant, Kirk's demeanor changed. "Red Alert, shield's up!" As red lights flickered to life throughout the bridge, Kirk gave the viewscreen his full attention. "Chekov, target their weapons before they get in range."</p><p>Chekov's console gave a beep of confirmation as he typed in the command.</p><p>"Fire."</p><p>"Aye, sir." Chekov executed the command-</p><p>And the console bleeped at him.</p><p>Chekov blinked "'Vhat?" He muttered in confusion. He hit the command again, only for the console to give the same negative bleep. Red text flashed across the screen, claiming a failure to execute. He tried again and again, but nothing happened. "Keptin, phasers are not responding!"</p><p>"What!?" Kirk lept from his chair and rushed to Sulu's side, leaning over the man's shoulder. When he saw the negative readout, he called aloud. "Kirk to Engineering! Scotty, what's wrong with our phasers?"</p><p>Seconds later, Scotty's confused voice responded. "What do ya mean Captian? The phasers are working fine!"</p><p>Kirk and Chekov shared a baffled look. "Mr. Scott, we've got three Klingon ships bearing down on us, and Chekov's console isn't letting him fire phasers. Look harder!"</p><p>An audible gulp was heard over the comms. "Aye, Captain! I'll-"</p><p>"Captian, they're within weapons range!"</p><p>Kirk looked at the viewscreen, seeing the green glow of the lead Klingon's disrupters fire. "All hands," He shouted, planting his feet as he held onto Checkov's console. "Brace for impact!"</p><p>The disruptor fire streaked across the black aimed right for Enterprise's port nacelle. Kirk grit his teeth, ready to feel the ship jolt from the impact as they hit the shields.</p><p>But almost as soon as they had left the scout ship, the blasts seemed to strike something. The green glow expanded into a massive explosion that engulfed the Klingon ship.</p><p>"What?" Kirk murmured.</p><p>Suddenly a jet of green fire shot out from the explosion, traveling along a winding unseen path until it reached the anomaly.</p><p>Blue fire filled the viewscreen, and the Enterprise jolted like it had been collided with. Through the flames, Kirk could see the stars spin as the ship was thrown end over end. The captain held on for dear life as he was nearly thrown across the bridge, the crew yelling in surprise as they tried to stay in place.</p><p>"Sulu, get us out of here!" He yelled out.</p><p>"Trying to, sir!" Sulu called back, typing one-handed as he held on with the other. "We're caught in the shockwave."</p><p>"Mr. Scott, more power to the engines!"</p><p>There were ten seconds of sickening silence, save for the ship groaning around them as it tumbled.</p><p>"Scotty!?"</p><p>Suddenly, the Enterprise gave a jolt, and the spinning of the stars started to slow. It took about a minute for the ship to right itself. Kirk looked around the bridge, the crew looking shaken but unhurt. "Damage report!"</p><p>"Sheilds are down to 43%," Spock responded, looking at his console. "Surface damage to the outer hull, no breaches. Minor injuries throughout the ship, no casualties."</p><p>"Look et that."</p><p>Chekov's awed tone drew the crew's attention back to the viewscreen. Rushing off into the horizon was a line of blue, growing smaller as it got further away. Smaller explosions of blue were erupting all over the area, lasting less than a second before vanishing. It reminded Kirk of the fireworks shows he'd seen back on Earth. "Spock?"</p><p>Spock tapped at his console for a moment, his brow furrowed. "The anomaly has disappeared, and our sensors are now functioning normally. The shockwave is expanding in a ring from the point of the explosion. At the rate it is weakening, it should dissipate before reaching any nearby systems. The smaller explosions are too weak to cause any damage."</p><p>Kirk nodded. "Send out a general warning anyway for any passing ships to steer clear. Sulu, any sign of the Klingons?"</p><p>"... I have them, sir." Sulu paused. "Well, one of them. Two of the ships seem to have been destroyed in the blast. The other…"</p><p>Kirk looked up at a flash onscreen. The last remaining Klingon scoutship, battered and buckled, seemed to stretch briefly before warping out of the debris field that had been its fellow ships.</p><p>"Guess there's no point offering our assistance," Kirk quipped. He scanned the viewscreen, watching as the small puffs of blue were becoming more and more infrequent. "Spock, what just happened?"</p><p>Spock tapped at his console. His brow rose slightly, looking up to meet Kirk's eyes. "There are trace amounts of several elements still in the area, including isobutane and methane, with the highest concentration at the anomaly's previous location."</p><p>Kirk's brow rose, staring out at the now empty space. "The gravity," He murmured, trying to piece things together. "Maybe… it pulled in those elements from the surrounding systems and turned it into a giant gas pocket. We couldn't see it, but it was all around us. The Klingon's disruptors must have ignited it."</p><p>"I have to agree, Captain," Spock admitted, stepping next to him to watch the last of the explosions, eyes trailing across the narrowing band of blue.</p><p>"We were wery lucky, Keptin," Chekov said with a relieved laugh.</p><p>Surprised, Kirk and Spock looked at each other, then turned as one to face the navigator. "How do you figure, Chekov?" Kirk asked.</p><p>Chekov's grin vanished at being under the Captian and First Officer's sudden scrutiny. "Well… had we fired our phasers when we tried, we could have ignited the gas instead of the Klingons, and we would have been the center of that explosion instead." He shrunk under their looks, chuckling nervously. "Lucky… right?"</p><p>Kirk and Spock shared another look, Spock raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Mr. Chekov," Spock said. "Very lucky."</p><p>"Cancel Red Alert," Kirk called out, setting back into his chair as Spock went back to his station. As the lighting went back to normal, he looked to Sulu. "Set a course for the Yorktown, and let them know we'll be needing repairs. Warp 2."</p><p>"Aye, sir," Sulu confirmed. Seconds later, the stars streaked by as the Enterprise went to warp.</p><p>"Mr. Scott," Kirk called out. "Any idea what happened to our phasers?"</p><p>"No, sir. Well, maybe?" Scotty's voice sounded strained and annoyed. "The phaser array looks ship-shape mechanically as far as we can tell, so I checked the systems. I can confirm that Chekov sent the firing command from the bridge, but there's no record of the array receiving it."</p><p>Kirk hummed. "Try to figure it out, Mr. Scott. It worked out in our favor this time, but we need to know those phasers are going to work when we need them."</p><p>"Aye, sir. I'll start running a diagnostic right away."</p><p>"Good. Oh, and Scotty: good job pulling us out of that spin."</p><p>"...sir?"</p><p>Kirk frowned at Scotty's uncertain tone. "The engines, Scotty. I asked for more power to pull out of that tumble and you came through."</p><p>"...Captian…" Scotty's tone shifted into something almost worried, making Kirk tense. "Whatever was going on knocked out our communications down here. We never heard you give an order about the engines."</p><p>Slowly, the bridge crew's heads turned away from their stations. Sulu and Checkov shared a look, Uhura turning around to look at Spock before they all turned towards the Captian.</p><p>Kirk in turn slowly turned to look at his First Officer. Spock stared back, his brow raised and confusion bleeding through his Vulcan stoicism.</p><p>Eyes still locked with Spock's, Kirk said, "Mr. Scott? Double time on that diagnostic."</p><p>"...aye, Captain."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: So, I dedicated time today to finish the later chapter of a story I've had writer's block on for months... and I wrote this instead. All in one sitting. Never touched the other story all day long.</p><p>Yes, something is very wrong with me. I am aware.</p><p>Screw it, whatever. New story for a fandom I've never written for with a completely bonkers premise of the Enterprise is sapient and the crew is starting to figure it out. Assuming I can sit my butt down to write some more on it, I think it could be fun. So... let me know if you want to see more of it.</p><p>See ya later!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Lost and Found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>"I tell ya, lass, I'm looking for a needle in a haystack here."</p><p>Jaylah rolled her eyes, not losing a moment as she continued tightening the fasteners on a new coolant pipe. "I still do not understand that idiom, Montgomery Scotty."</p><p>Scotty let out a loud huff, still hunched over his console. "C'mon Jaylah, I know I've told ya about that one before. It-" He cut himself off, his head jerking up. "You did the Montgomery thing again." His expression turned pensive. "I'm annoying you, aren't I?"</p><p>Jaylah looked up at him from her place under the pipe, flashing him a tight, exaggerated smile.</p><p>Scotty winced. "Sorry, lass. This whole situation is just driving me batty." He sat down in the chair by the console, eyes blearily scanning the scrolling text.</p><p>Jayla finished fastening the pipe, pulling herself up and rubbing her hands on her pants legs, pocketing her coil spanner. They may have coerced her into wearing the ridiculous skirted red shirt, but no amount of Spock's quoting regulations would get her to not wear her favorite cargo pants under it. Before moving onto the next pipe, she peered over Scotty's shoulder at the console. "You are still checking over the engine systems."</p><p>Scotty jolted at having Jaylah suddenly appear at his side. He shot her an irritated look, which she merely returned with a smirk. With a beleaguered sigh, Scotty looked back at the console. "Of course I am! Nothing about this makes any sense."</p><p>Jaylah hummed, sharing a look with Keenser crouching on the catwalk above her. The little Roylan just shook his head, echoing her thoughts. Walking around the console, Jaylah leaned over it, slamming her palms down on it with enough force to make the nearby engineers look over.</p><p>Scotty jerked back in shock, nearly falling out of his chair. "Lass, what-?"</p><p>"Montgomery Scotty," Jaylah cut him off in a low tone. "It has been<em> three days</em>. If you have not found an answer in those systems in all that time, they are not there to find."</p><p>Scotty let out a frustrated groan as he stood up from the chair. "But there has to be <em>something</em>!" He said loudly as he started pacing. "The phasers can be explained easily enough. The systems between the phaser array and the helm are shared between a dozen other systems. A hiccup in the command signals is rare, but it can happen. But <em>this</em>!"</p><p>He picked up a datapad, practically shoving it into Jaylah's hands. She narrowed her eyes at him, but Scotty had already resumed his pacing, gesticulating as he talked. "A thirty percent increase to the saucer section thrusters, pulling power from the weapons and navigation. It's madness!"</p><p>"Is that not exactly what you would have done?" Jaylah questioned as she halfheartedly skimmed the datapad.</p><p>"Well, yes," Scotty agreed as if it was obvious. "But the fact remains that I didn't! No one did! I can't even find a record of which console was used to make the adjustment."</p><p>Jaylah scanned through the information before her. Seeing nothing, she exited out of the current list and started scrolling through the other information Scotty had pulled up. As she neared the bottom of the list, the datapad's screen flickered, making Jaylah want to chew out ensign Jenkins again. The man kept forgetting to charge the equipment at the end of his shift. As she scrolled near the bottom, something caught her eye. Brow furrowing, she opened the file and started reading. After a moment, she gained a sly smile. "Scotty."</p><p>The Cheif Engineer, who had continued to rant despite Jaylah having stopped listening, paused mid-word to look over. "What? You find something?"</p><p>Jaylah nodded slowly, her grin turning smug. "More than something. I know who rerouted the power from the weapons."</p><p>Scotty's eyes went wide, going to the pad in her hand. "Who?"</p><p>Jaylah held it out for him and he snatched it back. "Lieutenant Jett Reno."</p><p>Scotty's head shot up, pure confusion on his face. "<em>Who? </em>There's no Lieutenant Reno on the Enterprise."</p><p>"No," Jaylah agreed as she went back to the coolant pipes, content to continue her work. "But there was apparently one on the Yorktown." She kept talking as she crawled under the next pipe slated for removal. "Temporarily reassigned to help speed up the construction of the Enterprise-A, implementing many new subroutines that the original lacked, such as…"</p><p>"Rerouting power from unused systems during a loss of gyroscopic positioning," Scotting murmured in disbelief, reading from the datapad.</p><p>"Like having a big blue fireball send the ship tumbling like a stone down a hill," Jaylah smirked up at him as she removed the pipe and Keenser leaped down to hand her a new one. "You were looking in the wrong place. The answer was right there in the construction records the whole time."</p><p>"But… but this makes even less sense!" Scotty threw his hands up, nearly letting the datapad fly in the process. "I-I read through these records when we first got the new girl. This… this wasn't here before!"</p><p>Jaylah rose a brow at his theatrics. "The records are dated from last year, Scotty. And there are over five terabytes worth of them. You probably just missed it."</p><p>At this, Scotty looked incensed, walking up until he was right over where she lay. "Ensign Lassy, do ya see that over there?" He pointed to the massive warp core looming across the engineering bay. "That there is the most advanced piece of technology in all of Starfleet. <em>Everything on</em> this ship is the most advanced version of whatever it is available. I would not risk the lives of everyone on this ship, yourself included, trying to work with technology I do not fully understand. Not until I knew everything this ship could do. I read these records inside and out when we got this ship, and I'm telling you, this Miss Reno did not program <em>this</em> subroutine into <em>this</em> ship."</p><p>Without missing a beat, Jaylah looked up from her work, thoroughly unimpressed. "Did you read these records with or without a glass of scotch in your hand?"</p><p>Scotty blinked, his stern expression faltering.</p><p>Jaylah looked on expectantly. Beside her, Keenser looked up as well, as if asking 'well?'</p><p>"Um... " Scotty hesitated a moment too long. "I don't see how that… matters…"</p><p>Jayla rolled her eyes going back to work. "Montgomery Scotty, you've found your answer. Go tell the Captian and end your shift, before I inform Dr. Bones that you have not slept in three days."</p><p>Scotty's face paled, before he schooled his expression. "Ya wouldn't."</p><p>Jaylah paused in tightening a bolt, giving Scotty a flat look.</p><p>Scotty broke within moments. "Ya would." He heaved a heavy sigh, walking back to his console. "Fine, ya win, lass. I'll call off for the night."</p><p>"It's noon," Jaylah commented offhand.</p><p>Scotty paused, then shook his head. He glanced back down at the datapad in his hand, scrutinizing it, before walking off towards the turbo-lift, datapad still in hand. "I still say there's something fishy about this."</p><p>Jaylah watched him go with a small smile, before turning her attention back to the task at hand. She held the coil spanner over the last bolt, tightening it halfway when the device sputtered in her hand.</p><p>Jaylah cursed, smacking the device in frustration. The spanner gave one last pitiful whine, then powered down completely. "<em>Dammit, Jenkins. </em>Keenser!" The Roylan bent over to peer at her under the pipe. She held out the dead tool. "Find me a charged coil spanner, would you?" Keenser let out a soft grunt, taking the tool and walking away.</p><p>Jaylah huffed under her breath, taking the moment to briefly relax. Maybe she could get some real work done without Scotty there. While she did enjoy listening to the man talk, there was no getting around that she worked slower when he was around.</p><p>Closing her eyes, she soaked in the neverending noise of Engineering. Something was always banging, scraping, or beeping, a constant din that merged chaotically with the voices of the crew, fading in and out as they moved about. It was a far cry from the near-silent forests of Altamid, and for that, she was always thankful. She'd already had a lifetime's fill of silence, so the chaotic ambiance of the Enterprise was practically a paradise to her as she slowly learned what each sound meant.</p><p>
  <em>Shrriiiiingggg…</em>
</p><p>Jaylah frowned. For just a moment, there had been a different sound among the usual noise of Engineering. She thought it sounded familiar, a pleasant whirling, twinkling sound. It was definitely something she'd heard on the Enterprise before, but… it had been so brief and covered by the other noises that…</p><p>Something bumped into the hand.</p><p>Jaylah's eyes shot open in surprise, met only with the pipe she remained under. She looked to the side at the offending object.</p><p>It was a coil spanner.</p><p>"Oh." She picked up the spanner, briefly pressing the on button. At the familiar whirl of a charged spanner, she grinned. "Thank you Keenser!" She called out, screwing in the last bolt. Job done, she crawled out from under the pipe...</p><p>Only to find herself alone.</p><p>"Keenser?" Jaylah looked around, but there was no sign of the Roylan.</p><p>"Look, I'm sorry, okay!?"</p><p>The sudden voice drew her attention instantly. Moving towards it, Jaylah weaved between the various equipment tied to the Enterprise's engines. She turned a corner and paused in confusion.</p><p>"This isn't the first time Leon."</p><p>Across the way, Keenser and a female engineer stood glaring at Ensign Jenkins, who was frantically installing a small pile of equipment into an empty charging station.</p><p>"How was I supposed to know the other station was already empty?"</p><p>"You would have known if you'd set everything up to charge last shift like you were supposed to!" The female engineer waved her dead tricorder in his face as he put his hands up in defense.</p><p>Keenser grunted in agreement, his beady eyes growing beadier.</p><p>Any other time, Jaylah would have smiled at seeing her fellow crewmates echoing her thoughts on Jenkin's mistake. But confusion kept her from registering it. Because a good amount of the equipment in Jenkin's pile were dead coil spanners. And Keenser was still holding the one she'd handed to him.</p><p>Slowly, Jaylah lifted her arm up, staring at the fully charged coil spanner in her hand. Her eyes darted from it to the pile of drained equipment, her brow pinched. Her grip tightened on the tool.</p><p>Perhaps Montgomery Scott was right. There <em>was </em>something fishy going on here.</p><p>...whatever 'fishy' meant.</p>
<hr/><p>"And you just… missed this?"</p><p>Scotty grimaced at Kirk's disbelieving tone. "So it would seem, sir."</p><p>Kirk shot Bones a look across the table. They were in the mess hall for lunch when Scotty walked up, apparently not realizing how tired he looked. Kirk had suggested the man sit and eat with them as he gave his report, and from the way Scotty almost mindlessly devoured whatever was put in front of him, it seemed he hadn't eaten for a while either. Kirk suppressed a grin at the glare Bones was giving Scotty, the doctor just waiting to chew the engineer out for not taking care of himself.</p><p>Kirk scrolled back through the records until he reached the end, a thoughtful frown on his face. He put the datapad down, letting out a deep breath. "That doesn't seem like you, Scotty."</p><p>Swallowing a massive bite of his sandwich, Scotty nodded his head. "I know, sir! I cana' believe I'd overlook something so simple." The engineer let out a frustrated breath. "But it would explain everything."</p><p>"We all make mistakes, Mr. Scott," Bones said still glaring at the bags under Scotty's eyes.</p><p>"I don't," Scotty muttered miserably.</p><p>Kirk let a small smirk form as he watched Scotty stew. "Admiral Archer's beagle would disagree."</p><p>Scotty swallowed the last of his sandwich with a squawk nearly choking in his efforts to respond. "That- <em>gah!</em>- that was one time, Captain!"</p><p>Kirk gave a small chuckle at his Cheif Engineer's expense. "Give the records a once-over when you have some free time, Scotty. Make sure there are no other surprising subroutines that might blindside us."</p><p>Scotty grumbled a bit under his breath, then collected himself. "Aye, Captain. I'll start right away."</p><p>"No, you'll start right after eight hours of sleep," Bones said severely, his glare deepening. "When was the last time you slept, Mr. Scott?"</p><p>For a moment, Scotty looked like he was going to argue. But after a moment of contemplating McCoy's ire, he plastered on a sheepish smile. "Um… five minutes from now?"</p><p>Bones answering smile was vicious. "Good answer. I'll walk you to your quarters, just in case you get lost and wander back into engineering by mistake."</p><p>Kirk chuckled as the two walked out of the mess hall, still arguing over Scotty's poor sleeping habits. He let his eyes wander around the mess, taking note of the crew interactions. Chekov was by the snack bar, regaling the newer ensigns with tales of their adventures. Uhura and Spock had snagged a table for themselves and were talking quietly, Uhura beaming and Spock with that barely noticeable lift at the corner of his lips. All around him the crew was chatting, smiling, and just generally in good spirits. He couldn't ask for much more between assignments.</p><p>As he tucked back into his meal, though, a flash of movement caught his eye. He glanced to the side, his brow furrowing. Scotty had left his datapad behind, and for a brief moment, the screen flickered. Curious, Kirk picked it up and scanned it. Everything looked the same, the list of construction and refit records unchanged.</p><p>Except…</p><p>Kirk rolled his thumb across the screen. The screen scrolled down a few lines to the bottom of the list.</p><p><em>Huh. That's funny. I thought I was already </em>at <em>the bottom.</em></p><p>"It's the damndest thing, I tell you. It must have been right in front of me the whole time."</p><p>Kirk's attention was drawn to a trio of ensigns walking by, trays in hand as they made they're way towards a table. Kirk tried to ignore them, knowing how having the Captian looking at you across the mess hall might be intimidating. Though the ensign talking was being a little louder than necessary. If it looked like he was disrupting the crew, he'd ask him to keep it down.</p><p>"I'm just glad you found it," his companion, Haines, griped. "You've been going crazy over that silly book all week."</p><p>"Hey, it's an original Azamov me and my brother shared when we were kids. I've had it with me since we were on the original Enterprise."</p><p>"And it was on your dresser the whole time?"</p><p>"Yeah! I must have walked passed it a dozen times. I just don't know how. I turned my quarters upside down looking for the damn thing, and then this morning, it was right there." the ensign took a bite of his salad. "I think someones playing a prank on me." He eyed his two seatmates suspiciously.</p><p>Haines rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Louis, we wouldn't do that."</p><p>"Yeah. And even if we did, we would have given it back after the first day. On Monday, your freaking out was funny. By Friday, you were driving us nuts."</p><p>"Oh, ha, ha." The ensign, Louis, frowned at his meal. "It's just weird. I <em>know</em> I looked on my dresser before today. It's like this morning it just… appeared."</p><p>Kirk rose a brow as the conversation went into something about the crew's latest stay on the Yorktown. Objects going missing weren't uncommon on the Enterprise. It was a big ship with a large crew. Putting something down in one place didn't mean it would be there when you went back for it. But inside one's quarters… Kirk glanced at the group of ensigns in thought.</p><p>Movement.</p><p>Kirk's eyes shot back to the datapad. Did it just…?</p><p>He flicked his thumb across the screen.</p><p>It scrolled down.</p><p>Kirk frowned. He stood up from his table, his meal forgotten. Datapad in hand, he moved towards Spock.</p><p>They needed to check the ship's computer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: Okay, that's it for what I've got written so far. No clue when the next chapter might be.</p><p>And before anyone asks, no, Discovery has nothing to do with this story. Jett Reno just happened to be an engineer from this time period who I could see being asked to work on Starfleet's new flagship</p><p>See you at the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Revision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Kirk fought the urge to sigh, his eyes traveling lazily around the room as he leaned heavily against an unused console. Various consoles were scattered throughout the room, surrounded by large constructs that stored who-knows-how-much data. Despite the lack of chatter found in most other sections of the ship, silence was in short supply thanks to the constant beeping and whirling echoing throughout the room.</p><p>He smiled as a pair of technicians walked passed, trying to hide their confusion at their Captian and First Officer taking up space in the Computer Core. "Find anything yet, Spock?"</p><p>"No more then I did four minutes ago, Captain," Spock droned back, eyes never leaving the console before him, text flying by faster than most humans could process.</p><p>Kirk didn't bother suppressing a sigh this time. He'd asked for Spock's help in this because he figured the science officer would find what he was looking for faster than anyone else on the crew. This was probably still true, but it was still taking longer then he'd thought.</p><p>"Hmm… interesting."</p><p>Kirk perked up, leaning over Spock's shoulder to get a better view of the console, "Find something?"</p><p>"Possibly," Spock taped at the console, and the screen split down the middle. Two different documents started scrolling passed. "There is an inconsistency in the dating between the majority of the Enterprises construction records and those written by Lieutenant Reno."</p><p>"The dating?" Kirk asked, brow furrowing. "Like, they weren't made when the others were?"</p><p>Spock gave a minute shake of his head. "The stardates are all consistent with the construction of the ship. However, I believe their posting dates are too accurate."</p><p>Kirk shot Spock a confused look. The Vulcan's tone of voice suggested he thought he'd given a shocking revelation, not baffling one. "You'll have to explain that one."</p><p>Spock turned around in his chair, giving Kirk an inquisitive brow-lift. At Kirk's flat stare, Spock looked back at the screen pulling something up. "It's quite simple, Capitan."</p><p>"I'm sure it is," Kirk muttered in annoyance.</p><p>"All records in the ship's library contain two dates: the date they were entered into the ship's computer, and the date when they were submitted for Starfleet's approval. When pulling a record for viewing, both dates are shown here." Spock pointed to the corner of the left-side screen, and a string of digits separated by colons. "Normally these dates only show to the minute, but if we chose to look deeper-" Spock tapped the console, and the numbers started to grow. "-the date can be traced down to the picosecond."</p><p>"Starfleet loves its attention to detail," Kirk quipped. "What's the point?"</p><p>"The point is this, Captain. The record you currently see is regarding the ship's thruster systems. And this," he pulled up a different record on the right-side screen. "-is the record Mr. Scott showed us from supposedly the same timeframe."</p><p>Kirk watched curiously as Spock extended the date on the new record.</p><p>His eyes went wide.</p><p>"There's nothing passed the minute mark," Kirk voiced, eyes trailing over the long string of zeroes at the end of the stardates. He huffed out a laugh of disbelief. "Scotty was right. Someone faked the records."</p><p>To his right, the console he'd been leaning against let out a high-pitch string of beeps. Neither officer paid it any mind, their focus on the screen before them.</p><p>"Indeed." Spock's brow furrowed as he pulled up more records. "However, I believe this raises more questions than it answers."</p><p>Kirk nodded. "No kidding. Someone-" He paused as a pair of ensigns walked passed, their focus on the datapad they were conversing about. Kirk waited for them to leave, then lowered his voice. "Someone's been messing with the ship's records."</p><p>"I'm afraid it may be more complicated than that, Captain," Spock stated, eyes never leaving the screen.</p><p>Kirk's shoulders tensed at Spock's tone. "How so?"</p><p>"You claim you became aware of the intrusion by witnessing it happen in real-time?"</p><p>"Yeah. I saw the screen on Scotty's datapad flicker out the corner of my eye, and when I looked back there were more records. I didn't realize what happened until I looked away and it happened again."</p><p>Spock nodded at the information, though his frown deepened. "That the records were changed when you looked away may imply that the culprit was watching you in some capacity, waiting for you to look away in the hopes of adding the records unseen."</p><p>Kirk crossed his arms, brow pinching in frustration. "Great. So there's a hacker <em>and </em>a stalker on the loose."</p><p>"<em>Again</em>, Captain," Spock broke back in, his voice gaining an annoyed edge. "It may not be as simple as that."</p><p>Kirk waved a hand in defense, feeling half-apologetic and half-annoyed himself. "Okay, I get, sorry. Please continue, Mr. Spock."</p><p>Spock was silent for a moment just long enough to feel uncomfortable, before resuming. "Despite their forgery, the added records are integrated into the Enterprise computer as if they had always been there. To modify the ship's records in such a way normally would require authorization codes of Captian rank or higher. This would imply that our culprit has a worrying amount of skill and access to our systems. However," Spock turned to face Kirk. "Considering the amount of premeditation required, I find it illogical that such a person could commit such a complicated act, yet miss such a glaring oversight as the incorrect stardates."</p><p>Kirk let out a slow breath as he mulled over Spock's words. "How many records are there with the incorrect dates?"</p><p>"Twelve. Five regarding the automatic rerouting of power from unused systems when various others fail. Three detailing how the navigation systems automatically make minute adjustments midflight to maximize travel time. Two for the tractor beams to automatically move hazardous objects away from the ship. And two that-" Spock paused, a look of genuine confusion on his face.</p><p>"What?" Kirk asked, leaning back over Spock's shoulder to read along. "Two that what?"</p><p>"...two subroutines that regulate phaser and torpedo firing during sensor malfunction."</p><p>Silence fell between as two faced each other, they're expressions mirroring the other's thoughts.</p><p>"Regulate," Kirk repeated. "Like, for instance, not letting us fire the phasers because the sensors were out."</p><p>"So it would seem, Captain," Spock agreed, his brow furrowed.</p><p>"And the power rerouting explains why the ship righted itself without Engineering's help. It explains everything." Kirk leaned heavily against the console behind him, shaking his head slightly. "Except, those records, as far as we can tell, are fake. Meaning the ship can't actually do any of that on its own."</p><p>"With our current assumptions, that would appear so, Captain."</p><p>Kirk let out a frustrated breath and started to slowly pace. "So, we've got someone skilled enough to take control of the ship when they choose, who's capable enough to change the ship's records without authorization, while watching me make sure I don't notice the changes. Yet are <em>un</em>skilled enough to not fake the stardates correctly or keep me from seeing them add the records." He hummed to himself, thinking. "Maybe… another whiz-kid, like Chekov?"</p><p>Spock quirked a brow. "Captain?"</p><p>"Just spitballing, Spock." Kirk pointedly ignored Spock's bemusement at his words. "A prodigy with little real-world experience. Might explain how they could pull off something so complicated while making such obvious mistakes."</p><p>Spock considered this. "Hmm… possible. But to my knowledge, Ensign Chekov was the last 'whiz-kid' to be stationed on the Enterprize, and he remains the youngest on the crew."</p><p>Kirk clicked his tongue. "We'll file that one away for if we start considering stowaways." He paused, his stomach sinking as he realized what he'd meant as a joke might be a real possibility. "Keep looking for more inconsistencies. Just because these are the first we found doesn't mean there aren't more, and I want to know how long someone's been messing with my ship."</p><p>"Yes, Captain. I will let you know what I find."</p><p>"Good. And try to keep this quiet. We don't want this guy knowing we're on to him." Kirk pushed off from the console, making for the turbolift. Before he got too far, however, a thought struck him. "Actually, one more thing, Spock." He hesitated when Spock turned around, then decided to just ask, "Are there any kind of records kept about lost items on the ship?"</p><p>Spock blinked in confusion."Captain?"</p><p>Kirk shook his head at himself, doubt creeping in even as he spoke. "Just… something else kind of weird I overheard today. Probably nothing, but given we just found this…"</p><p>Spock nodded in understanding. "I will see what I can find, Captain. And if I may, I make a suggestion, Captain?"</p><p>"Always."</p><p>"I believe we should inform Mr. Scott of our findings. He may be able to determine how our culprit is getting into the ship's systems the next time they attempt something."</p><p>Kirk took a deep breath, trying to calm his ratcheting worries. "Hopefully we find this guy before then, but it couldn't hurt. Besides, It'll make Scotty's day to know that he was right."</p><p>"And frustrate him that we still have no answers," Spock countered with an inclined eyebrow.</p><p>Kurt gave a contrite smile as he walked away. "Probably."</p><p>As the Captain left, Spock turned to look into more records. He made it through three documents when-</p><p>
  <em>Bzzt-BLEEEP!</em>
</p><p>Spock twisted around at the sudden cacophony of noise coming from a console on the other side of the room. The ensign seated at it reared back, his hands hovering over the controls as if they'd shocked him.</p><p>"Geez, Gonzolez!" A technician at the neighboring console shouted, a hand pressed against her chest. "What did you do to make the console so angry?"</p><p>The ensign floundered at her, his eyes wide. "I-I don't know! I was just doing telemetry calibrations!" He tentatively tapped at the console, cringing expectantly. When nothing happened, he made a few more taps across the screen with more confidence. "Seems like it's working now."</p><p>"Well, <em>something </em>happened." The technician moved away from her console to look over the ensigns. "When was that console last calibrated itself?"</p><p>As the two continued arguing over what the ensign did or didn't do, Spock turned back to his work. He scrolled through the record he'd left off on, picking through the lettering and grammar for anything suspect. Finding nothing, Spock went to pull up the next record when a thought struck him.</p><p>Slowly, Spock looked behind him, at the ensign and technician arguing in hushed tones. He stared at them for a moment, then turned away. His eyes moved slowly back and forth as he thought, considering. His brow furrowing, he went back to the records. Rather than select a new one, he scrolled back down to the ones he had already determined were fake.</p><p>He selected the one Mr. Scott had shown Kirk. He looked to the stardate. It read the same number it had before, down to the minute. He expanded the posting date.</p><p>His eyes widened.</p><p>The dates stretched down to picoseconds, a random jumble of digits not unlike any of the original records he had seen before. Spock backed out of the record and selected another fraudulent document. He expanded its date, finding similar results.</p><p>Spock's brow furrowed. Had the records been found with such detail before, nothing would have looked out of place. He would have nothing to go one, no reason to believe the records were anything less than accurate.</p><p>But he hadn't found them like this. He and the Captain both had seen the fraudulent dates. They <em>knew </em>the records were faked. So to change them now was… asinine. Childish.</p><p>And it opened up the question: how did the culprit know they had found the falsity?</p><p>"Hmm…" Spock put a hand to his chin, leaning over the console in thought. "Fascinating.</p><p>Behind him, the console Kirk had been leaning against gave a quick, sharp beep.</p>
<hr/><p>"And you can't think of anything new you might have eaten or come in contact with?"</p><p>McCoy frowned severely at the ensign sitting before him. The man's skin was pale, his eyes sunken, as he cradled a bucket on his knees. The man had stumbled into Sickbay looking like death had run him over, his uniform haphazardly pulled on in a disheveled mess. It had taken less than a minute to determine that he was in the midst of a mild allergic reaction, something easily treatable.</p><p>If only the man would tell him what he was allergic <em>too</em>.</p><p>"No, Doc-<em>sir</em>," The ensign was quick to correct. McCoy fought back a smirk. It had taken less than six months aboard the original Enterprise for the crew to learn that he refused to be referred to as 'Doc' by anyone other than those he couldn't make stop (i.e., Kirk). The ensign grimaced miserably, fighting back another wave of nausea. "I don't know what I could have done to… to…" The nausea won, and the ensign quickly filled the bucket.</p><p>McCoy fought back a sigh as he took the full bucket and gave the ensign a new one, dumping the used bucket down a disposal hatch. The man was lying. It was all over his face. Normally McCoy would think his troublesome patient was too embarrassed to admit whatever stupid thing he'd done to land him in Sickbay, but the ensign wasn't giving off that kind of vibe. If anything he just seemed… frustrated.</p><p>"Well…" McCoy started moving across the room. "Until we find out exactly what caused the issue, all I can give you is a generic allergy hypo." He hit the panel next to one of the medicinal cabinets. "It'll help, but it won't-"</p><p>
  <em>Bzz-zzt.</em>
</p><p>McCoy's brows raised, before shifting to a scowl. "What?" He hit the panel again. It gave another negative bleat, and the cabinet remained closed. "You've got to be kidding me!" He slapped the cabinet in frustration, making the panel give a more severe bleat.</p><p>"Something wrong?" The ensign called from his bed.</p><p>McCoy let out a low growl. "The cabinet doors are on the fritz." He let out a huff as he felt around the bottom of the door, hoping to find a seam to open it manually. "I long for the days of handles.</p><p>As he struggled to get the cabinet open, he heard the door to Sickbay open.</p><p>"Doctor McCoy?"</p><p>Fighting down another wave of annoyance, McCoy abandoned the cabinet door to great his new arrival.</p><p>Large black eyes and scaly reptilian features greeted him.</p><p>Plastering a smile on his face, he asked politely, "Ensign Ssynn, how can I help you?"</p><p>The Saurian ensign looked around Sickbay's entrance, searching for something. "Is Ensign Hendry Ables here? We were supposed to meet in the mess hall for lunch, but he never showed. The computer said he was here."</p><p>McCoy's brow rose at the amount of concern in the Ssynn's voice. Then it clicked.</p><p>His smile becoming more genuine. "He's resting in the back with a bad stomach bug. He should be ready to leave in about twenty minutes. Once he's better, I'll send him your way. Okay?"</p><p>Ssynn gave him a bright smile full of teeth. "Yes, thank you, Doctor. Tell him I hope he feels better."</p><p>"I will. And he will, I promise."</p><p>With a nod, Ensign Ssynn left the room. McCoy watched her go, then spun on his heel and went deeper into Sickbay. He turned the corner, staring down at Ensign Hendry Ables, curled further around his bucket. He'd heard everything.</p><p>McCoy crossed his arms as he stared down the ensign. "Nothing new, huh?"</p><p>Hendry looked down, not meeting the doctor's eyes.</p><p>McCoy let out an annoyed sigh, moving to a different cabinet. This one thankfully opened with no issue."I take it you weren't aware that Saurian saliva contains a chemical most humans are allergic to?"</p><p>The ensign seemed to shrink in on himself, His pale cheeks reddening. "Not at first…"</p><p>Loading up a fresh hypospray, McCoy huffed in annoyance as he reached for the next compound he needed. "Looked it up before coming in here, huh? Son, if you already knew the problem, why didn't you just tell me?"</p><p>Hendry was silent for a moment, and McCoy figured he was too embarrassed to speak. He shook his head in annoyance. Kid was just like Kirk, thinking he could run around with whoever and not expect to-</p><p>"My… father wouldn't approve of my being with someone… not human."</p><p>McCoy paused in his fiddling with the hypospray. He looked back at the ensign, finding the man hunched in his seat staring at the ground, angry and mortified.</p><p>McCoy considered the man for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, snapping the hypospray shut as he walked over.</p><p>"Well, lucky for you, kid, there's about a hundred lightyears between you and him. And I'm certainly not going to tell him." He pressed the hypospray against the ensign's neck, the man tilting his head to give him room. "This will inoculate you for about ninety days. If you and Ensign Ssynn intend to continue this, you're going to have to come back in three months for another round."</p><p>Hendry took a deep breath, the color already coming back to face. "Yes, sir. Thank you." He hesitated as he got to his feet, then hesitantly said, "I'm sorry."</p><p>"You should be," McCoy said bluntly, already moving about the room to put everything back in its proper place. "It's my job to keep everyone on this ship alive and healthy. I can't do that if you all keep secrets from me." He looked back at the ensign, staring at him until he got a nod of acknowledgment. "Good. You might feel a little woozy for the next hour, but you should be fine to get back to work. You think you're not feeling better, you come back here. Got it?"</p><p>"Got it, sir."</p><p>McCoy nodded, then jerked his head towards the door. "Then get back to it."</p><p>With a parting nod, the ensign left. McCoy stared after him for a moment, then shook his head, grinning slightly. He then looked over towards the medicinal cabinets, his face shifting into a scowl. He glowered at one in particular as he walked up to it. "Now, why the heck are you-"</p><p>McCoy fell silent as, when he hit the door control, the panel slid up quick and easy, no issues at all.</p><p>"The hell?" He reached in and picked up one of the vials, making sure he had the right cabinet. He looked over the cabinets inside for any sort of damage. Finding nothing, he closed the cabinet and opened it again, twice. When the door functioned with no issue, he put his hands on his hips, glaring at it.</p><p>"...I hate technology."</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: Well, there seem to be a few people interested in this. I'll keep it going and see where we end up. Hope you all enjoyed this one.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Caught</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <strong>One Week Later</strong>
</p><p>"I repeat: Andorian vessel, this is Captain James Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Please respond." As the silence rolled on, Kirk had to bite back a curse. "Spock, any luck finding any life signs?"</p><p>"Negative, Captain. Their shields are still functional, and our sensors cannot pierce them."</p><p>Kirk struggled to keep the frustration off his face. He just had to tempt fate, didn't he? After a week of scanning for anomalies and playing taxi to diplomats, it had started to look like the Enterprise was in for a lull in the action. Not even an hour before, he had complained to Bones about wishing something would liven things up.</p><p>Then came the distress call.</p><p>Now he sat in his chair, the lights dimmed down for red alert, staring at an Andorian freighter that was more scrap then ship. The vessel slowly tumbled through space, spurting plasma fire from a wide hole coming from its midsection. The glowing particles coalesced around the ship, held in place by the vessel's shields, which shimmered visibly with the constant contact of the flames.</p><p>Kirk cringed as a sudden spurt of plasma shot out amongst the constant stream. "What are the chances anyone's up still alive on that thing?"</p><p>"Unlikely, Captain," Spock admitted, brow furrowed as he watched the vessel spin. "Based on our schematics of the vessel, the location of the damage is centered around where it's life support was."</p><p>Kirk closed his eyes, dread pulling in his stomach. "Ms. Uhura, how long ago was that distress signal sent out."</p><p>Uhura paused, then let out of soft breath. "Three hours ago, Captain."</p><p>"...damn." Kirk opened his eyes, face hardening. "Is there any way for us to lower their shields without destroying the ship?"</p><p>"Their shields are already fluctuating by keeping in all that loose plasma," Sulu said. "A low powered phaser blast might be enough to blow them out without causing more damage."</p><p>Kirk nodded. "Sounds good. Chekov?"</p><p>"Taking aim now, Keptin. Ready on your command."</p><p>"Fire."</p><p>Red light streaked across the black, striking the ship's shields with a shuddering impact. The shields gave one last warble as they tried to stay up, only to fizz away, releasing the pulsing plasma to drift away aimlessly.</p><p>"Spock?" Kirk asked, eyes trained on the ship.</p><p>There was a tense two seconds as Spock worked his console, which only heightened when the lieutenant let out a faint breath through his nose. "No life signs, Captain."</p><p>Kirk muttered a curse under his breath, then shifted gears. "See if you can access the ship's computer from here. Let's find out how the hell they ended up like this."</p><p>Before Spock could give an affirmative, there was a flash of orange that lit up the view screen. A massive burst of plasma shot out of the ship's wound, smaller explosions starting to flash across its hull. "Sulu?" Kirk asked.</p><p>Sulu's brow furrowed as he looked over his readings. "The ship was damaged more then we thought. Blowing out the shields kicked off a chain reaction. We don't have long before it's warp core goes."</p><p>Kirk opened his mouth to give the order to back away. Then a thought struck him. He glanced behind him, catching Spock's eye. The half-Vulcan looked at the screen with hidden uncertainty, then gave the barest nod. Kirk turned back around, face determined. "Hold position, Mr. Sulu."</p><p>Sulu froze, his fingers already hovering over the controls to pilot the ship to a safe distance. He looked back at the Captain with barely hidden shock. "Sir?"</p><p>He wasn't alone. Chekov was doing his best not to gape at the Captain, while Uhura gave him a sudden look, her face blank save for her wide eyes. The various other members of the bridge crew tried to stay focused on their consoles, no matter how much they wished to voice their confusion.</p><p>Kirk ignored them. "Spock, how long until you have those records?"</p><p>Without looking up from his console, Spock calmly replied. "I have twenty-seven percent of their database. Estimate fifty seconds for completion."</p><p>Kirk nodded. With Spock's easy acceptance of the Captain's odd order, most of the crew relaxed, if only slightly. Chekov slowly turned back to his console, watching the viewscreen with rapt attention. Sulu did the same but didn't move his hand away from the controls, just in case. Uhura was the only one to remain critical, her eyes narrowing as she looked between Kirk and Spock.</p><p>It wasn't until Kirk suddenly looked over and caught her eye that she stopped. He rose a brow at her, the faintest lift at the corner of his mouth as if silently asking 'What? Don't you trust me?' She met his raised brow with one of her own, before glancing back to Spock hard at work. She let out a small breath, then nodded slightly to the Captain before turning back to her console.</p><p>At the thirty second mark, another burst of plasma rocked the Andorian ship, nearly ripping it in half. Sulu's console gave a bleep of warning. "The explosions are about to reach their warp core, Captain." Despite keeping his voice level, there was a noticeable edge of creeping panic to it.</p><p>"Spock?" Kirk called out, his voice gaining strain.</p><p>"Eighty-six percent, Captain."</p><p>Kirk fought the urge to grimace, wondering if maybe he'd miscalculated. Sulu was apparently of a similar mind, feeling the need to say, "Sir, at our current distance, we'll be within the blast radius. I'm not sure our shields can-"</p><p>Sulu cut off as the ground lurched out from under them.</p><p>For a sickening second, Kirk thought he'd just killed his crew over a hunch. But a quick look at the viewscreen showed the Andorian ship was still in one piece… and drifting away from them.</p><p>"Mr. Sulu?"</p><p>"It... wasn't me, Captain." The worry that had been in Sulu's voice was replaced by confusion as he looked between the drifting ship and his console.</p><p>"Keptin..." Chekov interjected, bafflement coloring his voice. "Our tractor beam activated." He looked up to watch the Andorian ship move further and further away. "I… did not do that."</p><p>Kirk felt his lips twitch but kept his face blank. "Sulu, are we still in range of the explosion?"</p><p>"...no, sir." Sulu was visibly fighting the urge to look behind himself at the Captain's chair, forcing himself to focus on his readings. "The beam pushed the ship out of range. Detonation in-"</p><p>A flash of orange light enveloped the viewscreen. Kirk squinted his eyes against the glare as the Andorian ship was enveloped in a ball of plasma fire, chunks of scrap and shrapnel flying out in every direction. A few smoldering pieced bounced harmlessly against the Enterprise's shields.</p><p>"Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked, turning around in his chair.</p><p>The lieutenant looked towards him, nodding. "Download complete, Captain."</p><p>Kirk nodded. "Cancel Red Alert. Uhura, start sifting through the information. Find out who that ship was and how they ended up like that. Sulu, resume our course to Rigel IV." He then focused on Chekov. "You're sure you didn't initiate the tractor beam, Chekov?"</p><p>"No, Sir!" The Ensign quickly responded, his tone betraying worry. He tapped furiously at his console, trying to verify that he hadn't touched it since firing phasers. "I don't know why-"</p><p>"I believe you, Pavel," Kirk cut him off, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Just making sure." He eyed the various members of the bridge staff milling about now that the action was over. He knew from their records that none of them seemed like the type to interfere with the ship, so he took a chance. Turning, he asked. "Thoughts, Spock?"</p><p>The half-Vulcan looked up from his readings, lips set in a firm line. "According to the Enterprise's <em>records, </em>the tractor beam is capable of triggering automatically if the sensors pick up an incoming danger."</p><p>Kirk gave an exaggerated hum. "Hmm. Convenient, that."</p><p>"Indeed."</p><p>Chekov's eyebrows shot up. He looked to Sulu, only to find the helmsmen just as surprised as he was. "I was not aware of that, Keptin."</p><p>"Not surprising, Chekov," Kirk responded with a sigh, drawing odd looks. "There seem to be several things about this ship that we don't know."</p><p>"Like what?" Uhura asked, her brow furrowing in concern.</p><p>"Enough to make me worried. Hopefully, though," Kirk and Spock's eyes met, before turning back to their work. "We'll get some answers soon."</p>
<hr/><p>Down in Engineering, Scotty nearly sprinted between the various pieces of industrial equipment, drawing some odd looks from the other engineers. It wasn't so much his rapid pace that drew their attention, so much as the triumphant, near manic grin on his face as he ran.</p><p>"Montgomery Scotty!" Jaylah yelled out as she easily kept pace with him, ducking and dodging around equipment with much more grace. "Why are we running?"</p><p>"Because if we move fast enough, Lass, we'll have him!"</p><p>Jaylah let out a groan. "Your mysterious record changer, I presume?"</p><p>Scotty rounded a corner, coming to a stop at a console tucked away at the very back of the Engineering bay. Jaylah recognized it as the technician station for the tractor beams. The Chief Engineer went straight to work, huffing raggedly as he tried to get his breath back. "Aye, Lass." He shot her a brief look of annoyance. "And what do you mean 'mine?' I thought you believed that someone's been messing with our ship."</p><p>Jaylah leaned against the side of the console, not showing any strain. She crossed her arms as she watched Scotty plug a small device next to the display. "I do believe it. I just don't see why it warrants running around like a wild beast is after us."</p><p>Scotty shook his head. "Because, the Captain had me set up a little program to record any time the ship followed any of those made-up subroutines. It'll backtrack from the used system to wherever the commands actually came from. Only hitch is that I had to make it time-sensitive to catch our saboteur in the act. Too long and they could cover their tracks." He then let out a sharp laugh, pulling out the memory stick. He held it up with a proud look. "And it worked."</p><p>Jaylah eyed the device, partly-skeptical, partly-intrigued. "And if your saboteur managed to hide their location again?"</p><p>Scotty just grinned, turning on his heel as he walked back across Engineering at a brisk pace. "Then I <em>still </em>outsmarted the crafty bastard," He threw over his shoulder.</p><p>Jaylah heaved an annoyed sigh before following him. To her surprise, they didn't go any further then Keenser's latest perch atop an emergency generator.</p><p>"Keenser! Is that datapad ready?" Jaylah rose a brow. Normally, Scotty would be yelling at the smaller being to get down from wherever he'd found to loom from.</p><p>Keenser let out a little grunt, then reached into his back pocket. He tossed down a datapad… or what was left of one.</p><p>"What is <em>that</em>?" Jaylah gawked at the bare circuit boards visible through the datapad's damaged chassis. Extra bits of other devices had been connected through the missing plates, giving the pad a rather slapdashed look.</p><p>Scotty let out a small chuckle as he plugged the memory stick into the device. "I modified this datapad to be completely disconnected from the Enterprise's systems, then had Keenser download the ship's computer into it."</p><p>Jaylah blinked slowly. "The… entire computer?"</p><p>Scotty's head shot up, a baffled look briefly crossing his face. "Well, of course not the whole computer. Are ya daft?" He quickly focused back on the pad at the dark look she sent him. "It's just a copy of the last month of operations. Every button press, every command from every console. And no way our hacker friend can change it while we're looking through it."</p><p>Jaylah's eyes narrowed for a minute, trying to piece together what Scotty was on about. Then it hit her. "You're trying to find a command pattern." Despite herself, a hint of pride bled through into her voice.</p><p>He grinned victoriously. "Aye, Lass. Even if we can't find where our tricky friend did his dirty work, we at least have a record of <em>how </em>he did it, in real-time. If nothing else, we can finally know how much he's been messing with our ship" He tapped at the datapad. "And there it is." He clicked his tongue irritably, then his expression brightened again. "Still no record of a location, but there is a command pattern from the computer on how the tractor beam was activated. Now we just plug that pattern into last month's records and… and…"</p><p>"...Scotty?" Jaylah asked warily as the engineer trailed off.</p><p>For partway through his triumphant explanation, Scotty's grin suddenly vanished. His eyes darted across the screen, first in confusion, then in mounting horror. Jaylah went to his side, looking at what the screen was displaying. Lines of blue text scrolled passed, nearly every other string turning red before they made it halfway up the screen.</p><p>It took a moment for Jaylah to process what she was looking at. When she did, she felt her veins turn to ice. "Scotty... are those all…?"</p><p>Scotty wasn't listening. He was already halfway through pulling out his communicator. He took in a breath to speak, then paused. He eyed the communicator with unease, before letting out a resigned breath. "Mr. Scott to Captain Kirk."</p><p>The full second before Kirk responded felt like an eternity. "Kirk here. What did you find, Mr. Scott?"</p><p>"Sir…" Scotty hesitated, unsure how to properly explain. He looked to Jaylah, who seemed just as shellshocked as he felt. He took a steadying breath, steeling himself. "I suggest we gather the senior staff." He stared down at the datapad, more and more red text appearing by the second. "It's worse than we thought."</p>
<hr/><p>As Scotty's voice echoed through the now silent bridge, Kirk could feel the dread already forming in his chest. He met Spock's worried gaze, the two getting out of their chairs. He was already moving towards the turbolift as he barked out orders. "Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov. You're with me. Bailey, Kelso, on Navigation, hold our course. Ferrel, Communications. Keeping looking for what attacked that Andorian ship. We get any incoming calls, comm me immediately."</p><p>There was a smattering of startled "Aye, Captain"'s as the crew leaped to action. Chekov and Sulu shared a confused look before following after the Captain and First Officer.</p><p>Uhura paused leaving her station just long enough to quickly tell Leuitenent Ferrel, "I left off at 03:51, right at-" She paused when, out the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something flicker. Her eyes darted around her station, shaking her head when she saw nothing. "...right at the start of the page. Haven't seen anything yet."</p><p>Ferrel nodded in response, watching as Lieutenant moved across the bridge to join the others. Once the turbolift slid shut, he glanced around at the rest of the remaining bridge staff. He received a few confused shrugs, a couple of companionable grins, before everyone got back to work.</p><p>As he turned back to Uhura's station, Ferrel started reading from the top of the page:</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>Stardate 2263.12</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>14:42</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Unknown vessel appeared on long-range scanners, bearing on an intercept course. Adjusting our course to avoid.</em> </strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>Ferrel paused, blinking at the screen. He rechecked the timestamp. Hadn't Uhura said…?</p><p>Then he read the next line, his confusion falling to the wayside.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>14:44</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Unknown vessel disappeared from scanners. Readings noted and course resumed.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>15:21</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Vessel decloaked off the port bow. Identified as Klingon Bird-of-Pray. Bird-of-Pray has raised shields and charged weapons. Captain has initiated Red Alert.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>15:23</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Klingon captain issues demand to prepare to be boarded. Captain refuses. Shields raised.</em> </strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>Ferrel's lips pulled into a firm line as he read on slowly, piecing together the grim picture the data started painting.</p><p>As the bridge crew went about their business, no one noticed the screen of Spock's unmanned console jitter briefly, several buttons lighting up as if they had been pressed. Text started to scroll slowly across the screen as the long-range sensors activated, starting a search for nearby plasma emissions.</p><p>The screen went back to normal within seconds, the sensors running in the background.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: A little shorter then I would have liked, but this felt like a natural endpoint.</p><p>And what's this? An actual plot stirring? Say it ain't so!</p><p>See ya at the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Unwanted Assistance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>"Jim! What the hell is going on? I thought-"</p><p>"Walk and talk, Bones." Kirk didn't break stride as he lead his party down the hall, moving at a brisk pace. "We're all headed to the same place anyway."</p><p>McCoy frowned the captain's serious tone, Spock barely paying him a glance from Kirk's side. The doctor fell into step with the rest of them, sending a perplexed look towards Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu, none of which seemed any more in the know. "Is there a reason you called me away from sickbay? I do have patients to take care of."</p><p>"Are any of them in immediate danger?" Kirk asked without looking at him.</p><p>McCoy jolted a little at the blunt question. "Well, no, but-"</p><p>"Then they can wait. We'll get you back to them as soon as we can, Doc, but they'll have to make do with Nurse Chapel for a while. Trust me, <em>this </em>is more important."</p><p>McCoy's brows shot up, but Kirk had already rounded the corner before he could respond. Partway down the hall, he lead them into one of the meeting halls they usually only used when hosting guests diplomats. To their surprise, Jaylah was there waiting for them, hunched over one of the many screens making up a circular display table.</p><p>"Jaylah?" Kirk's brows pinched as he came to a stop, the others huddling behind him. "Where's-?"</p><p>"Right here, Captian!" From the far side of the table, Scotty clambered out from underneath the table. His clothes were slightly disheveled and there was a wild look in his eyes. "I was just setting everything up for- Chekov!" He suddenly pointed over Kirk's shoulder towards the back of the pack, his voice rising. "Lock that door!"</p><p>With a startled jolt, Chekov reached back, tapping the keypad next to the door as it slid closed. It gave a soft beep as the blue lights backing the buttons turned red.</p><p>Kirk raised a brow as Scotty shouldered Jaylah away from the screen, the other joining it when the usually temperamental girl barely reacted, her eyes never straying from the screen as Scotty started tapping. "So…" Kirk started as the others awkwardly found a place around the table. "When you said it was worse then we thought…?"</p><p>Scotty let out a sharp huff of a laugh, devoid of humor. "I was underselling it, Captain. Give me a moment to finish this up."</p><p>"Finish… what, exactly?"</p><p>As the words left his mouth, Scotty reached over the screen and pressed a series of switches. The lights in the room dimmed for a moment, the various consoles around the table and on the walls letting out a cacophony of beeps. The senior staff looked around in surprise, tensing as they assumed something had gone wrong. McCoy eyed the ceiling warily, his hand hoving over his back pocket.</p><p>"Sorry!" Scotty cringed as all eyes turned to him. He flipped a different series of switches near-franticly. "That was me! Sorry, this is tricky. Just give me- there we go!" He grinned as the beeping abruptly went silent, the lighting going back to normal.</p><p>Kirk took a calming breath, sharing a look with Spock. "Scotty? What exactly did you just do?"</p><p>Scotty smiled at the captain, though it seemed strained. "I cut off the consoles in this room from the rest of the ship. We can pull information from the computer, but once it's here its copied and cut off from the rest of the ship. No chance of it being changed by outside forces."</p><p>"Outside forces?" Uhura spoke up, eyes going wide. Sulu and Chekov looked similarly startled.</p><p>At the looks on his crew's faces, Kirk steeled himself. He leaned over the table, making eye contact with the three uninformed members. "What Mr. Scott is referring to is what caused the tractor beam to activate on its own today."</p><p>"I take it the tractor beam didn't actually activate because of the sensors then?" Sulu asked, crossing his arms.</p><p>Kirk shook his head. "No. At least, not exactly. What happened today is just the latest time the Enterprise has suddenly activated certain systems on its own." Ignoring the other's confused faces, Kirk gestured towards Scotty. The engineer nodded, tapping away at his console.</p><p>"We first noticed with that anomaly a week back. Kirk wanted me to increase power to the thrusters to get us out of the shockwave. Comms were down, so I didn't hear him. No one in engineering did. And yet…" He paused, looking to the others expectantly.</p><p>"...the engines fired anyway?" Chekov supplied warily.</p><p>"Hang on," McCoy cut in, looking between Scotty and Kirk. "I thought we had an answer for that. Those new subroutines the Enterprise has."</p><p>"Subroutines?" Sulu asked.</p><p>"Don't feel bad about not knowing, Sulu," Scotty bitterly replied. "I didn't know about it either. Nor the few <em>dozen </em>other subroutines that could explain why the ship would suddenly start acting on its own. The only problem, Doctor," He chuckled under his breath, tapping at his console. "...is none of those subroutines actually exist."</p><p>Everyone but Kirk and Spock gained startled looks. "What do you mean 'they don't exist'?" McCoy piped up, shifting his building glare from Scotty to Kirk. "How else could the ship just fire up the engines without Sulu making it so?"</p><p>"The same way the tractor beam could suddenly turn on." Jaylah suddenly spoke, not looking up as she tapped away at her console, apparently ignoring the others for the most part.</p><p>Scotty nodded in agreement. "Aye. Or… how someone could edit those so-called subroutines in real-time as someone is looking at them." With everyone focused back on him, Scotty finally looked up from his console, a tired look on his face. "I spent three days trying to find an explanation for how the engines fired. I hand my datapad to Jaylah to look, she finds a whole record of subroutines explaining everything within a minute. Annoying, but problem solved, right?" He pressed a button on the console, and several of the surrounding screens brought up the same list of subroutines. He moved to a large screen on the far wall, pointing them out. "Well, then I show the record to Kirk. He looks away for a moment, and suddenly there are more subroutines then there were before."</p><p>Sulu's eyes widened, then narrowed. "More explanations for future events."</p><p>Scotty pointed to him, a fierce smile on his face. "Correct, Sulu, but it gets worse. The captain and Spock check over the records straight from the source, the computer core. They look over the records and find that the dates on them are faulty, clearly artificial. Except, when Spock looks away for a moment, the dates alter to look more authentic, <em>mere moments</em> after the fault was found."</p><p>Chekov's brow furrowed. "But that's… not possible."</p><p>"Oh, it's possible, lad," Scotty corrected. "A backdoor program to alert whoever added the records that they were being checked, hacking the cameras and sensors of the ship; there are ways someone could pull this off, assuming they had the proper skills." He clicked his tongue irritably, nodding towards Jaylah. She nodded back, moving to a different console. "That's what I thought was going on… until today."</p><p>Kirk and Spock, who had been listening silently up to this point, shared a sudden surprised look. "It's not someone is hacking the Enterprise, Scotty?"</p><p>As Jaylah finished typing at her console, the information on the screens changed. Information started scrolling passed, all timestamped. As it panned down, every third or so line of blue text was highlighted red. Scotty shook his head at the sight, before turning back to the crew. "No, Captain. At least not in any way I know of. After the tractor beams activated, I took a record of how they were turned on, a… pattern, for lack of a better term, for how the system was accessed. Once I had that, I plugged it into the last month of the Enterprise's overall records to see what else our technical fiend has accessed."</p><p>Uhura, who had been watching the information scroll by, trying to piece together its significance, did a double-take at Scotty's words. A cold feeling formed in her stomach. "So… Scotty, you don't mean that all of that is…"</p><p>"Aye, lass," Scotty confirmed morosely. "Each one of those red lines represents an instance where one of the Enterprise's systems has been activated in the same manner the tractor beam was today."</p><p>"How many?" The crew turned their attention back to Kirk, startled by the sudden intensity in his voice. The captain's previous calm demeanor had fled him, a look of intense frustration on his face as he loomed over the table, staring down the screen before him.</p><p>Scotty hesitated for a moment, sharing a worried look with Jaylah. He let out a heavy breath. "Just under a thousand… in the last month." He grimaced at the looks of horror suddenly sent his way, finishing in a resigned tone, "Averaging about thirty times a day. There's no way a single individual could do this, Captain. Not one their own. And…" He motioned towards Jaylah. "It gets worse."</p><p>Before anyone could question him as to how, Jaylah pulled up more information, filling up more screens. "After we realized this, I took Scotty's method and applied it to the entirety of the Enterprise's operational records. The amount of infiltration is… extensive."</p><p>Kirk looked around at them all, watching more and more red text appear. A chill ran up his spine when he heard someone inhale sharply. The chill turned to ice when he realized it had been Spock.</p><p>"Captain…" The half-Vulcan's voice was noticeably strained. "The stardates."</p><p>The stardates.</p><p>Kirk's heart jumped into his throat, feeling it sink to his gut as he saw what Spock meant. All around him, the others were slowly starting to realize, their eyes widening and their faces paling. "Scotty…" He started slowly, forcing his voice level. "How long has this been going on?"</p><p>"...ten months, sir." Scotty tapped at the large screen, scrolling the records to the top, where the red text was more spread out between instances. He tapped the one at the very top, all by itself amongst a sea of blue text. "The first time I could find was a minor course correction… one week after the Enterprise-A left drydock."</p><p>Silence fell over the room as Scotty's words sunk in. Once it fully hit him, McCoy put a hand over his face, slumping into a nearby chair as he muttered "Oh… God" under his breath. Chekov wasn't much better, his face turning an unnaturally shade of white as he watched the text continue to scroll past. Sulu reacted much the same, before giving his head a firm shake, stepping closer to one of the screens with a determined glower, Spock stoically joining him at the neighboring console after a brief pause.</p><p>It was Uhura who asked what they were all thinking, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "Scotty… what systems… How much control do we have over our own ship?"</p><p>Scotty heaved a heavy breath, rubbing at his temples. "I honestly don't know, Lass. As to what systems…" He shook his head. "It'd be easier to list what they <em>can't </em>access."</p><p>"Which are?" Kirk asked sharply.</p><p>"...Life-support." Again, Scotty tried not to squirm as he gained the full attention of the room. "Though whether its because they can't or just haven't tried yet, I don't know."</p><p>"Dammit, man!" McCoy slapped the table in front of him, pale face turning red as he glared at Scotty. "How did we not know about this?"</p><p>"Because we had no reason to look for it before." Scotty met McCoy's glare head-on, refusing to be blamed. "Up until a week ago, there was no indication that the ship was operating any way outside of how it should." He then scoffed under his breath, his tone lowering. "It's not like there was anything to notice in the first place anyway."</p><p>There were perplexed looks all around, Spock giving voice to them. "How do you mean, Mr. Scott?"</p><p>"I mean, aside from the engines last week and the tractor beam today, every one of those mysterious system activations was so minor that we wouldn't have noticed them unless we already knew there was something to look for." At Spock's subtle nod to elaborate, Scotty hummed. He chewed his lip for a moment, then looked to Sulu. "Let's use navigation as an example."</p><p>Sulu and Chekov looked up from their reading, giving Scotty their full attention. Kirk straightened from his hunch over the console, the others following his lead as they listened in.</p><p>Seeing they were all listening, Scotty started. "Say… say we were ordered back to Spacedock. Sulu punches in the coordinates and we take off at warp. Now, normally, presuming there were no planets or such in our way, we'd just go in a straight line from wherever we were to Earth. When we come out off warp, yes, we'd be at the <em>planet</em>, but we wouldn't be <em>at </em>Spacedock, yeah?"</p><p>There was a brief moment of confusion in the room. Then it clicked for Sulu "Because the coordinates aren't exact." As everyone looked to him, he explained. "The coordinates we use are actually for a space just outside the moon's orbit, so we don't interfere with any traffic coming out of warp.</p><p>Scotty nodded in agreement. "Correct, Sulu. Now, Spacedock is always orbiting directly over Starfleet headquarters. But when we warp to Earth, we appear at whatever angle is closest to our previous position. We could show up close to Spacedock, we could be on the other side of the planet."</p><p>"Okay, but what does that matter?" Uhura asked, raising a hand to her chin in thought.</p><p>Scotty gave an odd shrug. "Well, normally it doesn't. We come out of warp, and we just taxi from wherever we came out to Spacedock. Takes anywhere from five to fifteen minutes at most. The same goes for the coordinates of any known planet." He tapped at the console and pulled up a record. He turned back to the group, a tight look on his face. "Thing is, we haven't had to do that in months."</p><p>Everyone blinked in surprise, Sulu and Chekov looking at each other in shock. "What?" Chekov breathed softly.</p><p>Scotty shook his head, turning back to the screen. "For the last ten months, anytime we've warped to a location we've already been, someone has been altering our Flightplan mid-warp." He pulled up a star map with what looked like a single line connecting two star systems. He then zoomed in on the image, showing that halfway between the two systems, the line split ever so slightly. "Not enough for us to notice. But enough to shave our taxiing time down to almost nothing."</p><p>Sulu crossed his arms, his face contorted in a grimace. "And here I thought I was just a good helmsman."</p><p>If Sulu sounded bitter, it paled to Scotty's tone as he scoffed. "You think you've got it bad, laddie? How do you think I feel?"</p><p>Kirk looked up from the screen, seeing his concern and wariness reflected on the others' faces. "What do you mean, Scotty?"</p><p>Scotty let out a harsh breath. "What I mean, Captain, is that it's not just our flight plans that have been altered." He practically stabbed at the console as he rapidly brought up more screens. "It's <em>everything</em>."</p><p>There was a brief pause as Scotty's statement sank in. Then the group moved, crowding around the screens as Scotty brought up more and more information. Scotty took a moment to see their collective growing alarm, then continued. "Once I knew what to look for, I applied the program to every system connected to the ship's main computer. Scanners, targeting, translation, telemetry… engineering…" His face twisted like he'd tasted something sour. "Everything we do, it's like someone is standing right over our shoulders, correcting us. Sulu sets a course, its adjusted to save time. Chekov aims the phasers, they're corrected to be more accurate-"</p><p>"Communications?" Uhura balked as she read through the records, her face going slack.</p><p>"Aye, Lass!" Scotty moved to her, pointing at the screen. "Every time we get a message that's garbled or weak, while you're trying to clean it up, someone's working right alongside you without you knowing!"</p><p>Uhura grimaced as she scanned through the logs. She remembered most of the events listed, the pride she felt every time she completed the captain's orders in record time. How much of her success was actually her own? Judging by the looks on Sulu and Scotty's faces, they were having similar thoughts.</p><p>Chekov, however, looked contemplative. "Is it… that bad, though?" At the incredulous looks Sulu and Jaylah suddenly sent him, along with Scotty's thunderous expression, he put his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying! ...everything that this 'acker has done seems to be… helpful. Has anything harmful been done to us in the last ten months?"</p><p>While Sulu's expression turned relaxed, if exasperated, Scotty looked ready to tirade. He was prevented from doing so by Spock's speaking up. "Even if that is the case, Mr. Chekov, this is an extensive breach in our security. And depending on the skill and temperament of the 'hacker', there is no guarantee that their machinations will remain 'helpful'."</p><p>"Aye!" Scotty jumped back in, calmed, if only slightly. "With how ingrained they are with our systems, I wouldn't be surprised if they could trigger the self-destruct, or send us flying into a star! And we wouldn't realize it 'till we were already at warp!"</p><p>With that unpleasant thought now in everyone's heads, a hush fell over the crew. Minutes passed in tense silence, the officers processing to the best of their abilities. The quiet was finally broken by Kirk, his face set in deceptive calm. "How are they doing this, Scotty?"</p><p>Scotty rubbed at his eyes, visibly holding in a sigh. "That's the most confusing part, Captain. I don't know."</p><p>Ignoring the startled looks of the crew, Kirk's gaze intensified. "You have to have some idea if you were able to track down every time they've made a change."</p><p>Scotty moved back towards the table, pulling something out of his pocket and holding it out for them to see. "Oh, that part was easy. I had a program written on this datastick to not just find the method of how our systems were being activated but to track the system back to where it had been accessed from. I was hoping to find what console on the ship the bastard was using, or that maybe someone was hacking in remotely from outside the ship."</p><p>"I'm guessing that second bit didn't work," McCoy guessed grumpily.</p><p>Scotty nodded grimly. "Aye. I could follow it back to the ship's main computer core, but that's where to path dead ends."</p><p>"Doesn't that mean our hacker was in the Computer Core, then?" Chekov asked, confusion clear.</p><p>Scotty shook his head. "No, lad, I don't mean someone <em>accessed </em>the computer core. That's <em>actually </em>where it came from." He bit back a groan at everyone's blank looks, save Spock, who's brow had shot up. "It's like this: You sit at your console and give a command, like, to engage warp. That command goes to the computer core, and the computer core sends it to the appropriate systems. But with these times it's almost like…" Scotty let out a frustrated growl. "It's like the computer just sent those commands on its own!"</p><p>The crew contemplated this, giving each other thoughtful looks. Kirk fought the urge to bury his head in his hands. This… this was not what he wanted to hear today. He'd been hoping that Scotty would find who had been messing with his ship and that would be that. He'd either reprimand the offending officer or arrest the infiltrating party, and it would all just one more entry for the captains' log. Instead...</p><p>Kirk couldn't help it. He put a hand to his face, massaging his forehead against the incoming headache.</p><p>"...perhaps that isn't that far from the truth, Mr. Scott."</p><p>It was softly spoken, but in the silent room, Spock might as well have been shouting. Every eye turned towards him. "What isn't, Spock?" Kirk asked, feeling a spark of hope that one of them might have a clue about what was going on with their ship.</p><p>Spock, surprisingly, seemed to hesitate, as if unsure whether or not to voice his thoughts. With an encouraging look from Uhura, he said. "Perhaps we should consider the possibility that-"</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Bee-wuum. Bee-wuum. Bee-wuum.</strong> </em>
</p><p>Spock cut off as the lights above them dimmed, gaining a yellow tint. There was a moment of confusion as a deep bassy tone echoed throughout the room, wiped away as several of the screens now read three words in amber lettering:</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>ALERT</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CONDITION: YELLOW</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Kirk and Spock met eyes, echoing each other's confusion. "Kirk to the Bridge. Who authorized going to Yellow Alert?"</p><p>"I-I don't know, Captain!" Kirk recognized the voice of Lieutenant Bailey, panic plain in the man's tone. "None of us activated it and… " There was a pause, presumably because the officer was looking over something at his console. "There's nothing we can see that would warrant doing so!"</p><p>Everyone stiffened as the implication hit them. Kirk met Scotty's eyes with a knowing look. "Any guesses on who's to blame?" He asked, already moving towards the door.</p><p>Scotty took a deep breath as he followed after, data stick in hand. "That's a sucker's bet if ever I heard one, Captain."</p><hr/><p>The ride up to the bridge seemed to take an eternity, not helped by how all eight of them had squeezed into the turbolift. When the doors opened, they were greeted by the closest thing they could get to chaos outside of a battle, the secondary bridge crew darting from console to console as they tried to figure out what had happened before the Captain arrived.</p><p><em>Mission failed, </em>Kirk thought to himself as he saw their panicked looks. The bridge crew started moving back to their consoles, McCoy and Jaylah standing at the back while Scotty followed after Chekov. "What's our status?" Kirk called out.</p><p>Kelso and Bailey moved out of the way as Sulu and Chekov took back their stations, the former speaking up first. "Captain! Sir, uh… We're, um, trying to ascertain why… the…"</p><p>Kirk walked right passed Kelso for his chair. "At ease, Lieutenant, no one's in trouble. I just want to know what the hell is going on."</p><p>Kelso took a moment to collect himself. "Everything has been normal since you left, sir. We're still on course for Rigel IV. But three minutes ago the ship went to Yellow Alert, despite no one issuing it. And, uh..." He shared a sidelong glance with Bailey, the two looking embarrassed. "We can't get it to turn off."</p><p>"Captain," Scotty spoke up from his place at Chekov's side, datastick plugged into the helm. He gave Kirk a sharp nod.</p><p>Frowning, Kirk looked up, saying aloud, "Computer. Cancel Yellow Alert. Override Kirk, Beta, Epsilon, Alpha, Delta, One."</p><p>To Kirk's surprise, the bassy alarm stopped. The lighting went back to normal and the displays stopped flashing.</p><p>For two seconds.</p><p>As the Yellow Alert restarted, Kirk threw his head back against the headrest. "Now, how did I know that wasn't going to work?"</p><p>"Because it's a day that ends in 'Y'," He heard McCoy supply over his shoulder, and he almost smiled from the perplexed look Jaylah sported as she looked quizzically at the doctor.</p><p>"Captain." Spock's voice drew the crew's attention. The half-Vulcan stared at his console, brow pinched as his eyes darted across his readings. "My long-range scanners have picked up a strange plasma trail coming… seemingly from nowhere."</p><p>Kirk frowned. "I don't remember you starting a scan for plasma readings, Spock."</p><p>Spock glanced back to the Captain, forehead furrowed. "I did not, Captain. Yet it has been running since shortly after we left the bridge."</p><p>Kirk's brow shot up. He turned towards the secondary bridge crew for an explanation. If anything, they seemed even more flustered, each of them looking to another for an explanation. "It was none of us, sir," Bailey finally supplied.</p><p>Restaining a huff of frustration, Kirk turned back towards Spock. "What do you mean its coming from nowhere, Spock?"</p><p>"Exactly that. It bears a resemblance to the exhaust of a moving ship, yet there's no ship appearing on sensors."</p><p>At once, Kirk was alert. "A cloaked ship?" He offered.</p><p>Spock rose a brow. "Possibly, sir. The trail is increasing in length in a straight line… in our direction."</p><p>Before Kirk could respond, Uhura spoke up, a flustered Ferrel at her side. "Captain, Ferrel found something in the Andorian ship's logs. They were attacked by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey."</p><p>A hush fell over the bridge. Kirk's eyes tightened as he looked back to Spock "How fast is that plasma trail lengthening?"</p><p>Spock's fingers flew across his console. "At a speed equivalent to Warp 7.2."</p><p>Kirk grimaced. "Certainly fast enough for a Bird-of-Prey." Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at the dim lighting. "A cloaked Klingon Bird-of-Prey racing towards us a Warp 7." His eyes darted briefly to Scotty and McCoy, a grim smile on his face. "Something like that would normally warrant me ordering Yellow Alert, wouldn't it?"</p><p>"Aye, sir," Scotty reluctantly agreed, eyeing the flashing warnings like they'd offended him.</p><p>"Maybe this guy's out for your job, Jim," McCoy quipped, though he looked less than happy saying so.</p><p>Kirk shook his head, warding the headache away for the moment. "We can figure that out later. We've been given a heads up, might as well use it. Sulu, how soon will that ship reach us?"</p><p>"At our current speed and theirs, seven minutes, twenty-nine seconds, sir."</p><p>Kirk hummed. He then nodded to himself. "Okay… Mr. Scott, Ms. Jaylah." The two engineers looked over, both slightly surprised to be addressed. "I want you two to monitor the bridge systems. Let me know as soon as we have any more 'malfunctions."</p><p>Understanding, the engineers let out identical "Yes, sir"'s, Jaylah taking a seat at the console next to Spock, while Scotty stayed next to Chekov. As they went to work, Kirk turned towards communications. "Uhura, open a channel, all frequencies. Let's see what they want."</p><p>With Uhura's "Aye, Captain", the crew was thrown back into business as usual, Everyone taking their proper places. A few seconds later, Uhura called out, "Channel open, Captain."</p><p>Taking a breath, Kirk spoke. "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise hailing cloaked Bird-of-Prey. It appears you are on an intercept course with our vessel. Please respond and state your intentions."</p><p>Nothing happened for ten seconds. Then Spock said. "Vessel has decloaked, Captain. Confirming a Klingon Bird-of-Prey of unknown class. Their speed has not decreased."</p><p>"Great, they've got a new toy," McCoy muttered.</p><p>"Their haling us, sir," Uhura said.</p><p>"Onscreen."</p><p>The blue vortex of warp speed on the viewscreen was replaced with the face of a sneering Klingon of impressive hight. "This is Commander Kruge of the Klingon Empire. How did you detect our ship?"</p><p>Kirk kept his face blank at the Klingon's open hostility. "With all due respect, Commander, <em>you </em>are the one approaching <em>us</em>. So I'll expect an answer first. What business do you have with the Enterprise?"</p><p>If possible, Kruge's sneer deepened. "Our 'business' is ejecting all Starfleet vessels from Klingon space. So I suggest you turn your ship around while it is still capable of flying."</p><p>Confusion leaked through Kirk's mask, quickly replaced by ire. "You must be confused, Commander. The Rigellian Sector is well within Federation Space."</p><p>"That shall soon change." Kruge's smile was full of teeth. "We shall consider it and the Melonna sector acceptable trade for our loss of Arachnis."</p><p>Realizing what this was, Kirk sat up even straighter. "The Klingon council made a deal with the Federation over Arachnis nearly a year ago, Kruge. Both sides agreed to it amiably."</p><p>Kruge's resulting glare was chilling. "The council turned a deaf ear to its people when it made that deal. The Arachnis sector was hard-fought territory, not a bauble to be traded so your Federation could house their own. We shall correct their folly and replace our lost territory twice over."</p><p>"I'm assuming then that you are responsible for the Andorian ship we found earlier today?"Kirk asked in a cold tone.</p><p>Kruge's smile returned, his eyes dark. "We told them to leave. They refused. Now… will you share in their mistake?"</p><p>"The Federation could see this as a declaration of war."</p><p>"Our actions are separate from the Empire's wishes." Kruge's grin widened. "Though I doubt they will reject the new territory we shall be adding to it."</p><p>Kirk stood from his chair. "You won't be taking it without a fight."</p><p>To his mild surprise, Kruge let out a bark of laughter. "I wouldn't accept anything less, Captain Kirk. <em>Ben law' batlhmey wo'!</em>"</p><p>The viewscreen fizzed back to star streaks as Kruge cut the transmission. Whirling around, Kirk called out, "Sulu, take us out of warp. How long until they reach us?"</p><p>As the ship gave a minute shift, the stars reappearing on the view screen, Sulu replied. "Four minutes, seven seconds."</p><p>Kirk nodded. "Uhura, send a message to Starfleet. Let them know what's going on and if they can send us some backup."</p><p>"Aye, sir."</p><p>That done, Kirk sat back down in his chair. "All hands-"</p><p>Before the words could leave his mouth, the bridge lights dimmed further, red lights flashing from every console as a different alarm blared.</p><p>Kirk sent an exasperated look towards tactical. Almost predictably, Chekov started back with a wide-eyed look, Scotty cursing beside him as he glared at the console before him. From the looks all around the bridge, worried from the senior staff, startled from the uninformed, none of them had activated the alert either.</p><p>Kirk didn't bother restraining the resulting facepalm.</p><p>"...Red Alert."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: Sorry for the wait on this one. Writer's block is kicking my behind like never before. Seriously, one of my other stories has been sitting dormant since April for no other reason then I can't seem to sit my butt down and get the words from my brain to the keyboard.</p><p>On a related note, I'd love to hear if you guys are liking this story. Not only does it just feel good to get some feedback on what you like about the story, but it also helps give me some ideas for the future hearing what you guys think.</p><p>See you at the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Go For It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Eighty-five minutes.</p><p>That was how long it would take the <em>USS Salcombe </em>to reach them at maximum warp.</p><p>Kirk massaged his forehead, waving away Uhura's apologetic look. "Then we're on our own. Sulu?"</p><p>"Two minutes, eight seconds."</p><p><em>No time,</em> Kirk thought grimly. He stared out at the vast black, wondering which one of the pinpricks of light was the approaching Bird-of-Prey.</p><p>His dour mood was shared by the rest of the crew. The minutes waiting for Starfleet to respond had been spent hashing out their options, little though there were. Kirk hated having the <em>Enterprise </em>float here like a sitting duck, but there was little other option. For their tight time-frame, there were no planetoids or nebulas for them to run to for cover. And if they tried to lure Kruge into a chase to somewhere suitable, they ran the risk of the warmonger breaking off and going after an easier target, with no guarantee they could stop him before he took more lives.</p><p>Thus, they were left with one option: sit and wait. Go through every system, check their weapons and propulsion, and hope they would be ready for whatever Kruge threw at them.</p><p>"C'mon, ya bastard. Where are ya?"</p><p>The rough mutterings to his right did make Kirk's lips quirk upwards. The extra time at least had on benefit: it was giving Scotty more time to try and find their mysterious hacker/benefactor. Though given the Scotsman's increasing frustration as he jabbed at one of Chekov's screens, it didn't seem he was having much luck.</p><p>"No more 'help', Scotty?" Kirk couldn't help but ask.</p><p>Scotty snorted. "Since they declared Red Alert for us, Captain? Nothing." He leaned forward over the console, shaking his head in frustration. "I swear, if this Kruge fellow blows us up because some numpty mucks with our controls halfway through the battle, I'm gonna haunt the bastard till he meets his maker himself."</p><p>Kirk grinned, hearing Chekov and Sulu stifle chuckles of their own. He glanced back, seeing Jayla bob her head in a way that meant she'd rolled her eyes.</p><p>He was glad. There was a stiffness in the bridge crew that wasn't going to go away, so any levity they could find in the brief time they had was welcome. Kirk just hoped it would hold out throughout the battle, even when they found their systems being tampered with.</p><p>Because they <em>would </em>get tampered with. Kirk had little doubt of that now. Scotty's words refused to leave his mind, the data flying passed on those screens imprinted on his brain. The sheer amount of intrusion happening daily right under their noses turned his stomach, especially during battles. He might not have an eidetic memory on par with Spock's, but he could remember enough to pick out which days had the highest concentration of interference: those of combat. He doubted today would be any different.</p><p>"Twenty seconds, Captain," Sulu called out, the atmosphere dipping back down.</p><p>Kirk took a steadying breath. "Here we go," He muttered under his breath. "Chekov, take aim at the Bird-of-Prey's entry point. As soon as they come out of warp, fire torpedoes, full spread."</p><p>"Aye, sir."</p><p>A few final glances passed between the crew before everyone squared their shoulders and focused on their stations. Kirk's grip on his chair's armrest tightened as Sulu started counting down.</p><p>"Contact in five… four... three... two…"</p>
<hr/><p>The <em>Enterprise </em>drifted through the black of space, the faint lights dotting her surface blending with the backdrop of a million stars. By all appearances, the scene was peaceful, one the ship had found itself in for the majority of its existence.</p><p>Then, for just a moment, one star seemed to burn brighter than the rest.</p><p>Stretching out from the black, the Bird-of-Prey snapped into existence, firing a glowing orange torpedo as it appeared. The <em>Enterprise </em>fired milliseconds later, five streaks of red aimed at the Klingon ship. The Bird-of-Prey swerve away from their path, surging forward towards the Starship, its torpedo colliding with one of <em>Enterprise's </em>in a fantastic ball of explosive plasma.</p><p>As the Bird-of-Prey brought its blasters to bear, <em>Enterprise </em>slid to the side, her thrusters trying to push her out of the stream of green fire. It was mostly successful, only the last few bolts striking her shields. <em>Enterprise </em>lurched forward and banked, trying to keep the Bird-of-Prey from circling behind her as she fired phasers.</p><p>As the fight wore on, the weaknesses of both ships quickly became apparent. The Bird-of-Prey was much smaller and nimbler than the <em>Enterprise</em>, darting around her torpedoes and phasers with ease, almost mocking in its movements. Conversely, <em>Enterprise </em>had the stronger shields and weaponry, as while the numerous blasts from the Bird-of-Prey slowed her, her own shots sent the Klingon vessel tumbling whenever they landed a hit.</p><p>The battle waged for minutes on end, the two ships trading fire as they danced around each other. It was quickly looking to become a war of attrition, both ships slowly starting to show signs of damage as their shields weakened. There was no visible way to determine who had the advantage, only that as the fight went on, the ship's phasers and torpedoes were slowly getting more accurate, as the crews of each ship started to predict the other's movements.</p><p>Which was why both crews were shocked when, in the middle of firing a spread of torpedos from the front, a single torpedo fired from her aft, out into the emptiness of space.</p><p>It was even more surprising when it hit something.</p>
<hr/><p>"Chekov, was that you?" Kirk gripped the sides of his chair as the ship shuddered. Already the bridge was showing signs of damage, consoles and panels sparking as the Bird-of-Prey zipped in and out of view, green and orange flashes lighting up the viewscreen. McCoy was knelt at his side, tending to Leuitenet Kelso, who's console had exploded after a rather nasty hit. The fight wasn't necessarily going badly, but it was a lot more even than he'd been hoping. Whatever this model of Bird-of-Prey was, it was a lot tougher than the others they'd encountered.</p><p>"No, sir! Zat was not me!"</p><p>"The lad's right, Captain!" Scotty shouted with a frustrated grimace, fingers flying across his borrowed display. "The bastard's at it again!"</p><p>Kirk fought back a groan, unsure how to handle the sudden intrusion when Chekov's startled voice rang out. "Captain, that torpedo… confirmed hit!"</p><p>Kirk's head shot up, the other crew just as startled. "On <em>what!? </em>Onscreen!"</p><p>The viewscreen changed to the rear of the ship, showing a massive fireball just off their port nacelle. Their confusion turned to grim shock when out of the plasma fire drifted the wreckage of a second Bird-of-Prey.</p><p>"Guess it was too much to hope Kruge was making this a one-ship crusade," Sulu muttered as he steered the <em>Enterprise </em>out of the wreckage's path.</p><p>"Confirmed," Spock said, brow furrowed as he looked over his readings. "D12 Class Bird-of-Prey. I'm detecting heavy damage to their warp core and several power surges to vital systems." He turned to face Kirk, bracing himself briefly as the ship lurched from another hit. "It would seem they were struck before they could activate shields."</p><p>"Nailed them right when they warped in." Kirk huffed out a begrudging laugh. "Hell of a shot."</p><p>"An impossible shot, more like!" Scotty scowled at his readout like it had offended him. "They warped in under cloak! How did-? Argh, and now the bastard is messing with our targeting!"</p><p>Kirk felt a bolt of fear shoot up his spine, imagining their weapons suddenly missing by a mile with every shot. But to his surprise, their next barrage of phaser fire hit the Bird-of-Prey dead on, lighting up the ship's shield's as it failed to dive out of the way.</p><p>On his left, Kirk heard Chekov let out a bemused laugh. "With all due respect, Mr. Scott, if all my shots hit like that, I'm not going to complain!"</p><p>Scotty shot Chekov a dark look, sharp words no doubt on the tip of his tongue. But just as he opened his mouth, the ship violently shook.</p><p>"Captian!" Sulu shouted, a hint of panic in his voice. "Two more ships decloaking!"</p><p>Kirk's eyes snapped up, fighting back a curse. Two more D12s shimmered into view on either side of the burning Bird-of-Prey, both surging forward as their cannons fired. Before he could call out for Sulu to move them out of the way, the <em>Enterprise </em>was rocked by a blast to the front from Kruge's ship. Crewmen braced themselves against the sudden tremor, only to be thrown forward by twin bursts from the rear.</p><p>Kirk felt his heart drop when Sulu's console erupted into a shower of sparks right when the helmsman was thrown against it. Sulu tumbled out of his chair with a yell, clutching at his arm when he hit the floor.</p><p>"Bones, check Sulu!" Kirk called out. "Bailey, take the helm! Chekov, how we looking?"</p><p>"Not great, Captain!" Chekov yelled, fingers flying across his console. "Every time I focus on one of them, the other two hit us!" As if to punctuate his statement, the bridge shook violently.</p><p>"Captain," Spock called over the noise. "Shields are down to fifty-six percent, and dropping."</p><p>Kirk cursed. He glared up at the viewscreen, watching as one of the Bird-of-Prey's was rocked by a torpedo hit, only for green phaser fire to light up the screen as Kruge's ship streaked by. "Uhura, where's the <em>Salcombe</em>?"</p><p>"Forty-one minutes out!"</p><p>"We're not going to last forty-one <em>seconds </em>at this rate," McCoy muttered as he dragged Sulu over to sit against the dividing wall, running a tricorder over a burn on the helmsmen's forehead.</p><p>"Dammit!" Kirk smacked the arm of his chair in frustration. Another shake of the ship and the lights flickered. "Bailey, why aren't we dodging?"</p><p>"I'm trying, sir! I've got thrusters going down across the board."</p><p>With that news sinking in, Kirk turned his eyes skyward. "If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions."</p><p>There was a brief moment of silence, save the constant thrumming of the Red Alert. "We may want to consider a retreat, Captain," Spock finally said, turning to face the captain.</p><p>Kirk looked back at him, a hard look in his eye. "If we leave, there's nothing stopping them from going off and attacking another ship."</p><p>Spock's gaze was equally grim. "If we are destroyed here, there will be nothing stopping them from attacking more."</p><p>Kirk held Spock's stare for a moment. Another jitter of the ship made him let out a resigned sigh. "I hate when you're right." He turned around. "Chekov, keep them off us as best you can. Bailey, get us a clean trajectory and warp us out of here."</p><p>"Yes, sir." Bailey's tone held a bitterness that they all shared. None of them liked the idea of leaving the Klingon's to their own devices, especially knowing what Kruge had planned. The viewscreen shifted, angling until the ship faced a direction that the three Bird-of-Prey's weren't flying across. Bailey tapped at his console, a subtle vibration going through the hull as the warp drive warmed up. He gripped the lever to engage warp-</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>CRRSHH!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Kirk suddenly found himself flying out of his chair as the ground itself seemed to throw him up into the air. There was a sickening moment of weightlessness before he crashed down hard behind his chair, his nose smacking against the step. He brought a hand to his face, groaning when it came away red. The lights flickering ominously above him, he quickly wiped away the blood and pushed himself up, taking stock of the bridge.</p><p>Every seat was empty, the crew having been thrown around the bridge just as he'd been and scattered. Spock and Uhura had been thrown in between their stations, Jaylah hovering over them as they struggled to sit up. Chekov was slowly pushing himself to his knees from the front of the bridge, crawling back towards his console. McCoy was cursing up a storm, holding a hand to the cut over his forehead as he worked a tricorder over a groggy Sulu's leg, the both of them having been dumped at the foot of the captain's chair.</p><p>Kirk clambered to his feet, stumbling towards Sulu's console. He saw Baily laying unmoving at its foot. Quickly kneeling, he felt for the man's pulse. He let out a sigh of relief when he found it, only to grimace when he stood up to check the helm. To his dismay, the entire display was blacked out. "Scotty?" He called out breathlessly, his voice unnaturally loud in the bridge's sudden silence.</p><p>The engineer slowly emerged from the other side of the console, grimacing as he clutched at his arm. Seeing what Kirk was looking at, he quickly shuffled to the captain's side. "Aw, hell." He tapped at the darkened console for a moment, getting it to spark briefly to life, only to die immediately. With a frustrated grunt, he brought his fist down on the side of the display. He gave Kirk a despondent look. "The helm's dead, sir."</p><p>"Weapons too, captain." They looked to the left to find Chekov back at Tactical, tapping uselessly at his sputtering console. "I can't even get targeting up."</p><p>Huffing deeply, Kirk registered the ship's lack of shaking. "And yet we're still here." He looked towards the back of the bridge when he saw movement, watching as Uhura and Jaylah helped Spock limp back to his station, which thankfully seemed to be functioning. "Spock, what hit us?"</p><p>Sitting down heavily in his chair, Spock went through his readings. "We took a full spread of torpedoes to the underside of the saucer section. Shields… disabled."</p><p>"Impossible!" Chekov whirled around, panic and guilt plain on his face. "I swear I kept all three ships in sight!"</p><p>"You did, Mr. Chekov," Spock assured him. "It was not them that fired. Putting it on screen now."</p><p>All eyes turned towards the viewscreen. The image sputtered with static for a few seconds, before clearing enough to see. A D12 Bird-of-Prey sat directly below the <em>Enterprise</em>, its hull buckled and venting plasma.</p><p>"The ship we hit?" Kirk looked back at Spock in shock. "I thought their warp core was about to go?"</p><p>"It is," Spock confirmed plainly as he scanned the ship anew. He looked towards the viewscreen grimly. "But their weapons and impulse engines are still operational."</p><p>Kirk stared for a moment, before shaking his head with a huff. "Defiant to the end, huh? Where are the other ships?"</p><p>The viewscreen changed to a front view. The other two Birds-of-Prey had moved to flank Kruge's ship, the three vessels taking a position directly in front of the <em>Enterprise</em>.</p><p>"Why aren't they attacking?" Jaylah asked with narrowed eyes, leaning over the railing behind Spock's station.</p><p>"They're hailing us," Uhura called out, having shakily gotten back to her console</p><p>Kirk scowled, then schooled his face. "Onscreen."</p><p>In a burst of static, Kruge's sneering face filled the viewscreen, triumph clear in his demeanor. "You've surprised me, Kirk. For a human, you fight as fierce as a proper Klingon."</p><p>Kirk huffed, giving a humorless grin. "High praise, I assume."</p><p>Kruge barked out a laugh. "For an alien, there is no higher honor. Unfortunately, our bout has reached an end. You have no shields, no weapons, and no engines. In short… you have no chance."</p><p>"Let me guess, then. This is the part where you order me to surrender my ship to you."</p><p>Kruge looked down his nose at Kirk, smirking wryly. "I will admit, I considered it. However, while your crew would make for a fine bargaining chip, I believe the loss of Starfleet's flagship would serve as a weighty message to the Federation." Kruge then raised his hand, making a motion with his fingers.</p><p>Kirk narrowed his eyes. "What are you-"</p><p>"Captain!" Spock's voice drew the crew's attention. The half-Vulcan's eyes were wide as they flew across his console. "The damaged Bird-of-Prey is powering up its engines. They are maneuvering for a collision course!"</p><p>Kirk's jaw dropped. "Are they insane?"</p><p>"No, Kirk," Kruge said calmly, bring attention back to the viewscreen. "They are warriors. Their ship is beyond saving, and thus they willingly give their deaths meaning. They will be greeted as heroes at the gates of Sto'Vo'Kor for their sacrifice." The Klingon gave a smile that was all teeth. "You and your crew fought with honor, Captain Kirk. Goodbye." With another gesture, Kruge cut the connection, the viewscreen fizzing back to the image of the three Klingon vessels.</p><p>"Spock?" Kirk asked over his shoulder.</p><p>"The Bird-of-Prey can only move at one-quarter impulse, sir. But even at that speed, the damage from a collision would be… significant."</p><p>"How long?"</p><p>"At current speed, ninety-six seconds."</p><p>Kirk turned to face the crew. "Scotty, can you get the engines working?"</p><p>Scotty looked at Kirk helplessly. "Captain, the helm is dead and we're running on emergency power. And even if we could get to warp, it'd be a short trip as long as <em>that </em>is in our way." He pointed at the viewscreen, towards Kruge's ship sitting at its dead center.</p><p>Looking at the bridge as a whole, Kirk asked. "I'm open to ideas. Anyone?" He met the eyes of each crewmate, his hopes falling when each one only gave a fearful or resigned look in return.</p><p>"Um…"</p><p>All eyes went to Chekov, who tried not to flinch under the sudden attention. "Got something, Pavel?" Kirk asked hopefully.</p><p>"Well," Chekov faltered, then cleared his throat. "Not me, exactly, but, maybe…" He looked back towards his tactical station, the other's following his gaze.</p><p>Right to where Scotty's datastick was still plugged into the dead console.</p><p>Scotty let out a manic scoff. "Are you kidding me, lad? You think our mysterious saboteur could get us out of this?"</p><p>Chekov cringed under the scrutiny. "Well, they've been able to do a lot of other things with the ship we can't explain. And we know they're always listening and watching us, so…"</p><p>"So what? Even if they can muck with our systems, they can't just magic up a way to-"</p><p>"Sixty seconds."</p><p>Scotty's building ire fizzled out at Spock's call, reminding them of just how little time they had.</p><p>Kirk looked between the two, making a snap decision with what little he had to work with. He scanned the bridge until he found the closest security camera. Looking right at it, he said aloud, "If you can, go for it."</p><p>All eyes went back to the captain, most in bafflement. It was McCoy who first realized who he was speaking to. "Jim, are you-"</p><p>"I am out of ideas and we're out of options." Kirk cut McCoy off with a firm look. "I don't like it either, but I've got a feeling that whoever's been messing with the <em>Enterprise </em>doesn't want it to be destroyed anymore than we do." He then looked back up at the camera, speaking louder. "So if you have some way to get us out of here, consider this permission from the captain. Go for it."</p><p>Precious seconds ticked by in silence as the crew waited for… <em>something</em>.</p><p>"...Forty seconds."</p><p>"...damn." Kirk put a hand to his forehead as their fragile hope sputtered out. He looked back up, finding the eyes of his crew on him, their faces grim. He took a deep breath. "Everyone, I-"</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Scr-SCCREEE!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Everyone put their hand over their ears as a shrill electronic shriek ripped through the bridge's speakers. A cacophony of drones and beeps filled the air as consoles all around the bridge started sparking and flashing, before dying down to a chaotic background noise. A series of quick warbling beeps started coming from one particular console. Kirk met Scotty's eyes, and the two rushed back to Sulu's station as the console flashed on and off.</p><p>Scotty tapped frantically, trying to get information between the losses of power. His fingers suddenly froze, his face going slack. "That's… that shouldn't be possible."</p><p>"What? What isn't?" Kirk asked as the bridge crew started looking towards the helm, hope sparking back into their eyes.</p><p>"Power's being rerouted from… <em>everywhere</em>. Weapons, navigation…" He swallowed nervously. "Life-support. And it's all being funneled towards-"</p><p>The ship gave a sudden lurch, the Bird-of-Prey in the view screen suddenly drifting down.</p><p>"...the thrusters."</p><p>"Captain!" Spock called out, turning away from his console to face the rest of the bridge. "Ten seconds to…"</p><p>Spock cut himself off, his eyes drawn to Sulu's console. Genuine shock cut through his Vulcan visage as he caught sight of movement, the same movement that instantly drew everyone else's attention.</p><p>With all eyes watching Scotty work frantically at the helm, none missed the movement that made him stop dead, he and Kirk's heads snapping to the left.</p><p>Just in time to see the warp throttle throw itself forward.</p><p>"What…?" Kirk breathed.</p><p>His question was lost as a familiar vibration thrummed through the hull.</p><p>The speakers letting out another distorted shriek, the damaged <em>Enterprise </em>roared into warp, her belly barely missed the bridge of Kruge's ship. The damaged Bird-of-Prey flew right through the warp trail it left behind, the strain the ship had put on itself finally giving way as its warp core detonated, leaving a fireball of green plasma in its wake. Before the remaining Klingon's could even react, the <em>Enterprise </em>was just another spot of light against the sea of black.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/n: Yep. Can't get more blatant than that. Next chapter, things really start to get good.</p><p>Which is why it pains me to say the next chapter for this is going to be a while off. I have to get some chapters done on my other two stories, if only for my own sanity. Bare minimum, one chapter of each before I focus back on this one.</p><p>That being said, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews give me life, and Lord knows I need more of that right now.</p><p>See you at the next one!</p>
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